Odisha’s Anjali Munda Secures Another Gold in Women’s 200m Individual Medley
Assam’s Monikha Sonowal and Mizoram’s Isak Clinch Weightlifting Gold Despite Injuries
Raipur, March 26, 2026//
Karnataka swimmer Manikanta L continued his outstanding form by clinching his third consecutive gold medal in the 200m individual medley, achieving a remarkable golden hat-trick at the Khelo India Tribal Games. Meanwhile, Odisha’s Anjali Munda secured her second gold medal in the women’s category. These achievements were recorded on Thursday, the second day of the ongoing competition.
Host state Chhattisgarh also had reason to celebrate as local swimmer Anushka Bhagat finished second in the women’s 200m individual medley, earning her second silver medal of the event.
The inaugural edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games features participation from 30 states and Union Territories, with nearly 3,800 athletes competing across nine sports disciplines. A total of 106 gold medals are at stake in archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, while Mallakhamb and kabaddi are included as demonstration sports.
Manikanta, who had already won gold medals in the 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly on Wednesday, maintained his dominance by winning the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:25.93 seconds. Riaz Tripura of Tripura secured the silver medal with 2:34.04 seconds, while Odisha’s Kanhu Soren claimed bronze with a timing of 2:36.21 seconds.
In the women’s 200m individual medley, Anjali Munda clocked 2:53.82 seconds to win gold. Chhattisgarh’s Anushka Bhagat finished with 2:59.33 seconds to take silver, while Odisha’s Anjali Malik secured bronze with 3:06.13 seconds.
In the medal tally, Karnataka leads with six gold and two silver medals, followed by Odisha in second place with three gold, one silver, and four bronze medals.
In weightlifting, Assam’s Monikha Sonowal and Mizoram’s Isak Malsawmtluanga delivered exceptional performances despite battling injuries to win gold medals. Monikha, competing in the women’s 48 kg category, lifted a total of 132 kg (57 kg snatch and 75 kg clean and jerk) despite a knee injury. Odisha’s Deepa Rani Malik (120 kg) won silver, while Alaska Alina from Andaman and Nicobar Islands (115 kg) took bronze.
Monikha, who hails from Dhemaji district in Assam, revealed that she had suffered a knee injury during training three months ago, and her coach had considered withdrawing her from the competition. However, the 19-year-old chose to compete. She said she did not want to miss the event as it was an important opportunity to establish herself at the national level, and expressed satisfaction at performing well under pressure.
Mizoram’s Isak Malsawmtluanga was also struggling with a back injury. After finishing second in the snatch with 108 kg, he made a strong comeback in the clean and jerk by lifting 130 kg, securing gold with a total of 235 kg. Jharkhand’s Babulal Hembrom (230 kg) won silver, while Odisha’s Subrata Naik (228 kg) claimed bronze.