- Karnataka tightens grip on medal tally with 17 gold
- Arunachal strengthens third spot with key win
- Odisha, Mizoram to clash in hockey final
Raipur,:Arunachal Pradesh’s NediNgi and Maharashtra’s Govind Padekar clinched gold medals in the women’s and men’s 5000m events respectively on Day 6 of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, even as unseasonal rains forced the cancellation of the athletics evening session in Jagdalpur on Monday.
Ngi delivered a tactical race, holding back until the final lap before unleashing a strong sprint in the last 200 metres to finish with a timing of 18:24.66 seconds. In the men’s race, Maharashtra dominated the podium with Padekar securing gold in 15:11.35 seconds, followed closely by teammate Suraj Mashi, who took silver with 15:11.64 seconds.
Ngi’s victory further strengthened Arunachal Pradesh’s position in the medal standings, taking their tally to six gold, one silver and two bronze medals, placing them third overall. Meanwhile, Karnataka consolidated its lead at the top of the table with an impressive performance in wrestling, increasing its gold count to 17 along with six silver and five bronze medals. Odisha continued to hold second place with nine gold medals.
On the wrestling mat in Ambikapur, Karnataka’s Rohan Doddamani secured gold in the 60kg Greco-Roman category, defeating Rajasthan’s Dinesh Solanki by technical superiority. Karnataka’s Manisha Siddi added another gold in the women’s 76kg category with a hard-fought 12-8 victory over Himachal Pradesh’s Muskan.
Bihar opened its gold medal account through Mulayam Kharwar, who registered a dominant win over Rajasthan’s Rakesh Meena in the men’s 65kg freestyle final. Karnataka’s KV Kemppannavar claimed bronze in the same category.
In other wrestling events, Jammu and Kashmir’s Hamam Hussain won gold in the men’s 97kg freestyle category, while teammate Mohd Wasim Choudhary secured bronze. Himachal Pradesh’s Piyush Gujjar bagged gold in the 87kg Greco-Roman category, with J&K’s Riyaz Hussain taking silver.
In hockey, Odisha reaffirmed its dominance by thrashing Madhya Pradesh 8-0 in the women’s semi-final to set up a title clash against Mizoram, which edged past Jharkhand 3-2 in a closely contested match.
Despite the disruption caused by rain, Day 6 witnessed strong performances across disciplines, with key medal shifts and dominant displays shaping the competition as it heads into the final stages.
