- Dasharath Talawar, Nagini win gold to extend Karnataka’s lead
- Odisha bag four golds, continue chase in medal standings
- Chhattisgarh’s Gajendra Thakur shines with 800m silver
Raipur, : Karnataka continued to dominate the medal standings on Day 8 of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, with race walker Dasharath Talawar and middle-distance runner Nagini clinching gold medals to extend their lead, while hosts Chhattisgarh added a silver and a bronze to their tally.
Dasharath Talawar led a Karnataka one-two finish in the men’s 10km race walk, clocking 45:13.85 seconds to win gold, followed by teammate Darshan Bagadi and Gujarat’s Sagarbhai Katara. Nagini then dominated the women’s 800m, securing gold with a time of 2:13.80 and taking Karnataka’s gold medal tally to 21, alongside eight silver and seven bronze medals.
For Chhattisgarh, Gajendra Thakur delivered a standout performance by winning silver in the men’s 800m with a time of 1:53.82, finishing just behind Odisha’s Davanidhi Munda. Thakur’s achievement is notable as he switched to athletics only a year ago, making his first national-level medal on home soil even more significant. The hosts also secured a bronze in men’s hockey, taking their overall tally to two gold, eight silver and five bronze medals, placing them 10th.
Odisha kept up the pressure on the leaders with an impressive haul of four gold medals. Davanidhi Munda (men’s 800m), Roshan Khadia (men’s 400m hurdles), Dipa Kisan (women’s high jump) and Dhanmati Xess (women’s javelin throw) topped the podium, taking Odisha’s tally to 17 gold, 10 silver and 16 bronze medals.
Jharkhand also strengthened its position in third place, winning two gold medals in the women’s 400m hurdles and 10km race walk. The state now has 19 medals, including nine gold, three silver and seven bronze.
In football, Chhattisgarh edged past Arunachal Pradesh 3-2 in a thrilling semi-final to book their place in the final against West Bengal. Captain Akhilesh Kumar Uikey led from the front with goals in the 34th and 66th minutes, while Manoj Kumar Lekam added another in the 75th minute. Arunachal Pradesh mounted a late comeback through Rahul Goju Singpho, who scored twice in the 81st and 86th minutes, but fell short.
West Bengal secured their final berth with a commanding 5-2 win over Goa in the other semi-final, with Saurav Sabbar, Dilip Oraon, Bijay Murmu, Rahul Murmu and Chaku Mandi all finding the net.
In athletics results, Jharkhand’s Shivani Kumar won gold in the women’s 400m hurdles, while Karnataka’s Nagini topped the women’s 800m podium. Neha Xalxo of Jharkhand claimed gold in the women’s 10km race walk. Odisha’s Dipa Kisan and Dhanmati Xess clinched gold in women’s high jump and javelin respectively.
In the men’s events, Roshan Khadia of Odisha won the 400m hurdles, while Davanidhi Munda clinched gold in the 800m. Dasharath Talawar’s victory in the 10km race walk further cemented Karnataka’s dominance at the top of the table.
