Dinesh solanki

Khelo India Tribal Games: Arunachal Pradesh’s middle-distance runner Nedi Ngi clinched the women’s 5000m gold while Maharashtra completed an impressive 1-2 in the men’s category before unseasonal rains forced the organisers to cancel the evening session on the opening day of athletics competitions on day 6 of the in the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 on Monday.

Ngi held herself back till the last lap before sprinting in the final 200m to seal the gold medal with a time of 18:24.66s while Maharashtra’s Govind Padekar (15:11.35s) and Suraj Mashi (15:11.64s) paced themselves perfectly to clinch the gold and silver medals respectively in the men’s 5000m category.

“I am making a comeback after focusing on academies and I am extremely happy that I could win the gold medal here. Now that I have completed my graduation, I want to focus on getting in to the National Camp and then hopefully in the Indian team for major events,” Ngi told SAI Media after the race.