Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh secured two gold medals each on the opening day of the wrestling competition in Ambikapur, while Mizoram claimed a couple of golds to conclude the weightlifting events on the fifth day of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Raipur on Sunday.
Jharkhand opened their gold account with Poonam Oraon, who defeated Telangana’s Geetha K 6-3 in the women’s 50kg final. Anjit Kumar Munda then added another gold in the men’s 67kg Greco-Roman category, beating Gujarat’s Mukesh Vasva by technical superiority.
Himachal Pradesh’s gold medals came through Navish Kumar (97kg Greco-Roman) and Priyanka Chaudhary (women’s 62kg). Mizoram took their gold tally to four, with Zosangzuali (women’s +86kg) and David Zohmingmawia (men’s +110kg) finishing on top of the podium, pushing the state to fifth in the overall standings.
Karnataka continue to lead the medal standings with 15 gold, six silver and four bronze medals, followed by Odisha with nine gold, four silver and 10 bronze. Hosts Chhattisgarh, who secured a silver through Rishika Kashyap and a bronze via Lucky Babu Markam in weightlifting, slipped to ninth place.
Weightlifter Sambo Lapung powered Arunachal Pradesh to third place, overtaking Assam, after winning gold in the men’s 100kg category with a total lift of 299kg. Mizoram’s David Lal Zawmdika claimed silver with 270kg, while Chhattisgarh’s Lucky Babu took bronze with 261kg.
Maharashtra also climbed the standings, with Sakshi Burkule winning the women’s 86kg gold. Her total of 150kg was 29kg more than silver medallist Rishika Kashyap of Chhattisgarh.
Sakshi dominated the event from the outset and was never seriously challenged. Rishika, meanwhile, delivered a composed performance, choosing her lifts wisely to secure a podium finish.
Maharashtra’s Vinod Salkar then added another gold by winning the men’s 125kg freestyle Nordic competition.
Jammu and Kashmir opened their medal account with a gold and a silver in wrestling. Munir Hussain defeated Maharashtra’s Vikram Pawar 11-1 by technical superiority to win the men’s 74kg freestyle gold, while Shama Hoon settled for silver after losing to Himachal Pradesh’s Navish Kumar in the 97kg Greco-Roman final.
IANS
