- Meghanjali bags third gold for Karnataka
- Hosts Chhattisgarh win one silver, two bronze
- Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh open gold account
- 14 states win medals; six clinch gold so far
Raipur: Karnataka extended its dominance at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games, becoming the first state to cross the 10-gold mark after a strong showing on Day 3, led by star swimmer Manikanta L.
Karnataka topped the medals tally with 13 gold, five silver and one bronze medal. Odisha followed in second place with six gold, two silver and nine bronze medals, while Assam stood third with two gold, four silver and two bronze. Hosts Chhattisgarh are placed joint seventh with Tripura, with six medals each—three silver and three bronze.
Manikanta L once again led Karnataka’s charge, winning gold in the men’s 50m breaststroke and 100m butterfly, while also adding a silver medal in the 50m freestyle. However, in the final race of the day, his statemateDhoonesh N edged past him to win gold in the 50m freestyle with a time of 25.75 seconds, while Manikanta finished second in 26.38 seconds.
In the women’s events, Karnataka’s Meghanjali continued her impressive form, clinching her third gold medal of the Games in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 38.23 seconds. She also won gold in the 50m freestyle (31.64s). Chhattisgarh’s Anushka Bhagat secured silver in the 50m breaststroke (39.57s), marking her third silver medal of the Games.
Maharashtra opened its gold medal account through Tanvi Dhurve, who won the women’s 100m butterfly in 1:23.65 seconds, finishing well ahead of Shristi Verma of Madhya Pradesh (1:32.94s). Chhattisgarh’s Nyasa Paikra claimed bronze in the event (1:47.62s). Tanvi, a Nagpur-based swimmer, credited her family background in swimming for her success.
In men’s swimming, Manikanta won the 100m butterfly (59.94s), followed by Firmino EmonLalung of Assam (1:00.46s) and Riyaj Tripura (1:04.02s). In the 50m breaststroke, Manikanta clocked 31.08 seconds to win gold, with Palash Thakur of Maharashtra (32.13s) taking silver and Chhattisgarh’s Nikhil Xalco (32.93s) bronze.
Chhattisgarh had its best day at the Games, with Anushka Bhagat winning silver and Nikhil Xalco and Nyasa Paikra adding bronze medals, taking the state’s total to six.
In weightlifting, Arunachal Pradesh also made a mark by opening its gold tally. AnaiWangsu lifted a total of 169 kg to win gold in the women’s 58kg category, while Odisha’s BiduSmitaBhoi secured gold in the 63kg category with a total lift of 195 kg.
Arunachal Pradesh’s RichinChongruju added another gold in the men’s 79kg category with a total lift of 269 kg. Mizoram lifters Lalfakawma (265 kg) and Jacob Vanlatluanga (250 kg) secured silver and bronze respectively in the same event.
In the men’s 71kg category, Mizoram’s Mh Silvan Beihrothatlo clinched gold with a total lift of 281 kg, followed by Karnataka’s Manjunath Marati (270 kg) and Arunachal Pradesh’s TayarRonik (255 kg).
In football, Jharkhand defeated Assam 9-1 in the women’s Group A match, while Gujarat recorded a massive 25-0 win over Andhra Pradesh in Group B.
A total of 30 states and Union Territories are participating in the Games, with nearly 3,800 athletes competing across nine disciplines. A total of 106 gold medals are at stake in sports including athletics, swimming, football, hockey, wrestling, weightlifting and archery, while traditional disciplines such as Mallakhamb and Kabaddi are being held as demonstration events.
After three days of competition, 14 states have won at least one medal, while six states have secured gold medals. The competition is expected to intensify further in the coming days as athletes vie for top honours.
