Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh secured two gold medals each on the first day of wrestling at Ambikapur during the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Raipur. Jharkhand’s Poonam Oraon triumphed in the women’s 50kg final, while Anjit Kumar Munda claimed victory in the men’s 67kg Greco Roman final. Himachal Pradesh’s gold medals were earned by Navish Kumar in the 97kg GR category and Priyanka Chaudhary in the women’s 62kg event.
Mizoram excelled in the weightlifting competition, clinching four gold medals through Zosangzuali in women’s +86kg and David Zohmingmawia in men’s +110 kg. This success propelled Mizoram to fifth place in the overall medals ranking. Karnataka leads the standings with 15 gold, followed by Odisha with nine gold medals. Hosts Chhattisgarh slipped to ninth place after securing a silver and a bronze in weightlifting.
Arunachal Pradesh’s Sambo Lapung’s victory in the men’s 100kg weightlifting event helped the state move to third place. Maharashtra also made significant progress in the medal tally with weightlifter Sakshi Burkule claiming gold in the women’s 86kg category. Wrestler Vinod Salkar added another gold to Maharashtra’s count by winning the men’s 125kg freestyle competition.
Jammu and Kashmir secured a gold and a silver in wrestling, with Munir Hussain winning the men’s 74kg freestyle gold by defeating Maharashtra’s Vikram Pawar. Shama Hoon from Jammu and Kashmir settled for silver in the 97kg Greco Roman final against Himachal Pradesh’s Navish Kumar.
