Raipur : Swimmers from Karnataka set the tone on the opening day of the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, clinching five of the six gold medals on offer, while Odisha and hosts Chhattisgarh also made their presence felt at the International Swimming Complex here on Wednesday.
Karnataka’s Dhoneesh N and Odisha’s Anjali Munda scripted history by winning the first gold medals of the Games in the men’s and women’s 200m freestyle events respectively.
Dhoneesh clocked 2:03.55s in the men’s 200m freestyle final, finishing well ahead of Karnataka teammate KeerthanSharat (2:10.99s), while Maharashtra’s BhaktishKumre (2:14.73s) took bronze. “It feels special to win the first gold of the Games,” Dhoneesh said after the race.
In the women’s 200m freestyle, Anjali edged past Karnataka’s Nidhi S in a close finish, clocking 2:39.02s to secure gold, with Nidhi just behind at 2:39.09s. Odisha’s SriyaPadiami claimed bronze.
Karnataka continued its dominance through the day, with Manikanta L and Mehanjali winning two gold medals each. Manikanta topped the men’s 100m breaststroke in 1:07.41s before adding the 50m butterfly title with a time of 27.06s. In the women’s events, Mehanjali secured gold in both the 100m breaststroke (1:25.81s) and 50m butterfly (34.67s).
Hosts Chhattisgarh opened their medal tally with a silver and a bronze. Anushka Bhagat finished second in the women’s 100m breaststroke, while Nikhil Xalco took bronze in the men’s 100m breaststroke.
With the opening day’s results, Karnataka topped the medal tally with seven medals, including five golds, while Odisha stood second with four medals. Chhattisgarh, buoyed by home support, was also among the early medal winners.
The inaugural edition of the Games has drawn participation from 30 states and Union Territories, with around 3,800 athletes competing across nine disciplines. A total of 106 gold medals are at stake, with traditional sports like Mallakhamb and Kabaddi included as demonstration events.
The strong showing by Karnataka swimmers on Day 1 underlined their dominance in the pool, setting an early benchmark as the competition gathers pace in the coming days.
