There was also a reason for hosts Chhattisgarh to rejoice as local hope Anushka Bhagat added a second silver to her tally by finishing second in the women\u2019s 200m individual medley race. Anushka had won the 100m breaststroke silver on Wednesday. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
At the end of Day 2, Karnataka topped the medals chart with eight gold, three silver, and one bronze, while Odisha were close second with five gold medals, one silver, and eight bronze medals. Assam are third with five medals (two gold), while Chhattisgarh are lying sixth with three medals (two silvers and a bronze).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In all, 30 states and Union Territories are participating in the inaugural edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, which is witnessing close to 3800 participants compete in nine sports disciplines. A whopping 106 gold medals will be on offer across archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, while traditional sports like Mallakhamb and Kabaddi will be demonstration sports. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
While there were many stunning performances in the swimming pool on Thursday, Manikanta was the runaway star as he has won every race he has competed in so far. The Karnataka swimmer, who had won the 100m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly gold on Wednesday, began the day by winning the 200m Individual Medley with a time of 2:25.93s, returned a few minutes later to stop the clock 1:07.94s in the 100m Backstroke final and then swam the anchor leg for Karnataka\u2019s 4x100m relay team to make it five gold medals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI am very happy that all the hard work I have put in over the years is coming to fruition here. I am happy that I have won five gold medals so far, but I am competing in a total of nine events, and I am aiming to win gold in all nine,\u201d said Manikanta, who trains at the Basvangudi Aquatic Centre under coach Rajeev.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Odisha won all three gold medals on offer in women\u2019s swimming events, with Anjali adding two. Anjali Munda, who had won the 200m freestyle gold on Wednesday, first clinched the women\u2019s 200m IM gold with a time of 2:53.82s, with Chhattisgarh\u2019s Anushka Bhagat winning the silver with a time of 2:59.33s. The bronze medal went to Anjali Mallick of Odisha (3:06.13s).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Anjali then added the 100m backstroke crown to her tally with a time of 1:19.98s, with Karnataka\u2019s Nidhi S taking the silver medal with a time of 1:26.18s.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Though Anjali did not represent her state in the 4x100 relay, the quartet of Ritika Minz, Krushna Nayak, Rupali Hembram, and Subhasmita Baipai clocked a time of 5:06.12s to beat Gujarat (5:54.37s) and Karnataka (6:29.69s) for the gold medal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Odisha\u2019s fourth gold medal of the day came from the weightlifting hall, where former Asian Championships gold medallist Jhilli Dalabehera took the top spot against Kiuchangliu Gangmei of Manipur due to her lower body weight after both players had lifted an identical aggregate of 160kg.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Earlier, Assam\u2019s Monikha Sonowal and Mizoram\u2019s Isak Malsawmtluanga braved through injury concerns to come up with a solid performance to clinch weightlifting gold medals in the women\u2019s 48kg and men\u2019s 60 kg categories, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Sonowal came to the Khelo India Tribal Games carrying a knee injury, while Malsawmtluanga had to fight through a niggling back injury to put their respective states on the medals table at the Pandit Ravishankar University Ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In the weightlifting arena, Monikha dominated the women\u2019s 48kg event by lifting 57kg in snatch and 75kg in Clean & Jerk to clinch the gold medal with a total of 132 kg. Deepa Rani Mallik of Odisha (120kg) and Alaaska Aleena of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1116kg) bagged the silver and bronze, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Monikha, who hails from Assam\u2019s Dhemaji district, had twisted her knee during training three months ago, and the coaches were contemplating pulling her out of the Games, but she overruled them. \u201cI was clear that I did not want to miss this event because I wanted to make a mark on the national stage, and I am happy that I could perform under pressure,\u201d said the 19-year-old.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mizoram\u2019s Malsawmtluanga had also suffered a back injury a month before the Games in training, and that discomfort was still visible as he struggled to lift 108kg in Snatch in his third attempt and was in second place going into Clean & Jerk behind Odisha\u2019s Subrat Naik.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Malsawmtluanga came into his own in Clean & Jerk and successfully lifted 130kg in his second attempt to assure himself a gold medal with a total of 235kg, as Naik could only manage to lift 122kg in C&J to finish third with an aggregate of 228kg. Jharkhand\u2019s Babulal Hembrom took home the silver medal with a total lift of 230kg. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
RESULTS<\/p>\r\n\r\n
FOOTBALL<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Men:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Group A: Chhattisgarh drew with West Bengal 1-1<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Group B: Arunachal Pradesh beat Goa 2-0<\/p>\r\n\r\n
SWIMMING<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Women:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
200m IM: Gold \u2013 Anjali Munda (Odisha) 2:53.82s; Silver \u2013 Anushka Bhagat (Chhattisgarh) 2:59.33s; Bronze \u2013Anjali Mallick (Odisha) 3:06.13s<\/p>\r\n\r\n
100mbackstroke: Gold \u2013 Anjali Munda (Odisha) 1:19.98s; Nidhi S (Karnataka) 1:26.18s; Bronze \u2013 Parmila Molsom (Tripura) 1:28.14s<\/p>\r\n\r\n
4x100m relay: Gold \u2013 Odisha 5:06.12s; Silver \u2013 Gujarat 5:54.37s; Bronze \u2013 Karnataka 6:29.69s<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Men:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
200m IM: Gold \u2013 Manikanta L (Karnataka) 2:25.93s; Silver \u2013 Riyaj Tripura (Tripura) 2:34.04s; Bronze \u2013 Kanhu Soren (Odisha) 2:36.21s<\/p>\r\n\r\n
100m backstroke: Gold \u2013 Manikanta L (Karnataka) 1:07.74s; Silver \u2013 Nibir Nilim Krow (Assam) 1:09.25s; Bronze \u2013 Rajesh Soren (Odisha) 1:10.99s<\/p>\r\n\r\n
4x100m relay: Karnataka 4:00.42s; Silver \u2013 Assam 4:02.86s; Bronze \u2013 Odisha 4:25.90s<\/p>\r\n\r\n
WEIGHTLIFTING<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Women:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
48kg: Gold \u2013 Monikha Sonowal (Assam) 132kg; Silver \u2013 Deepa Rani Mallik (Odisha) 120kg; Bronze \u2013 Alaaska Aleena (Andaman and Nicobar Island) 115kg<\/p>\r\n\r\n
53kg: Gold \u2013 Jhilli Dalabehera (Odisha) 160kg; Silver \u2013 Kiuchangliu Gangmei (Manipur) 160kg; Bronze \u2013 Larityngkai Lawriniang (Meghalaya) 132kg<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Men:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
53kg: Gold \u2013 Jhilli Dalabehera (Odisha) 160kg; Silver \u2013 Kiuchangliu Gangmei (Manipur) 160kg; Bronze \u2013 Larityngkai Lawriniang (Meghalaya) 132kg<\/p>\r\n\r\n
65kg: Gold \u2013 Manuranjan Dhekial (ASM) 247kg; Silver \u2013 Laithanpuia (Mizoram) 237kg; Bronze \u2013 Om Kumar (Jharkhand) 231kg.<\/p>\r\n\r\n