RAIPUR (Chhattisgarh, India): The women swimmers from Odisha ruled the pool on Day 4 on Saturday of the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026, bagging three gold medals and one silver medal in the three events of the day. They continue to hold the second spot in the medals tally, and are now just a medal shy of Karnataka, who continue to be on top of the table.
Karnataka finished on the podium in four of the six events, drawing a blank in the remaining two. It won two gold, one silver and one bronze medals. Weightlifter Nikita clinched the first gold medal for hosts Chhattisgarh.
Odisha won the gold medal in all the three women’s events in swimming. In the women’s 100 meters freestyle, it was a 1-2 for Odisha, as Ritiza Minz won the gold and Krushna Priya Nayak the silver, while Anjali Munda won the gold in the 50 meters backstroke. Odisha also bagged the gold in the women’s 4 x 100 meters medley relay.
In the women’s 100 meters freestyle, Violina Crow (Assam) won the bronze. In the women’s 50 meters backstroke, Anushka Bhagat (Chhattisgarh) won the silver while Meghanjali (Karnataka) the bronze. In the women’s 4 x 100 meters medley relay, Tripura won the silver and Gujarat the bronze.
Karnataka won the gold (Dhoneesh N) and the bronze (Keerthan Sharat) in the men’s 100 meters freestyle, while Firmino Emon Lalung (Assam) bagged the silver. In the men’s 50 meters backstroke, Nibir Nilim Krow (Assam) won the gold, Dhoneesh N (Karnataka) the silver and Rajesh Soren (Odisha) the bronze. Karnataka also won the gold in the men’s 4 x 100 meters medley relay. Assam won the silver and Tripura the bronze in this event.
At the end of Day 4, Karnataka were at the top of the table with 24 medals – 14 gold, 6 silver and 3 bronze. Odisha were a very close second with 23 medals – 9 gold, 4 silver and 10 bronze. Assam remained at third place with 15 medals, which include 4 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals.
Hosts Chhattisgarh won its first gold medal in weightlifting and were at sixth spot with a total of 8 medals, which included 1 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals.
Weightlifting
In men’s weightlifting, Arunachal Pradesh clinched two gold and one bronze, while in women’s weightlifting, Assam clinched a gold and a silver with a 1-2 finish in the only event of the day.
Ruba Tadu of Arunachal Pradesh got the gold and his team-mate Soram Tagru the bronze in the 88 kg category, while Devarakonda Prem Sagar (Andhra Pradesh) got the silver. In the 94 kg category, Lalu Taku (Arunachal Pradesh) got the gold and P Mani Shankar (Andhra Pradesh) the silver. Khem Raj (Himachal Pradesh) won the bronze. With this, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh made their entry into the medals table.
In the women’s 69 kg category, Dimpi Sonowal (Assam) bagged the gold and her team-mate Pallavi Payeng the silver. Agnes Fernandes (Goa) got the bronze, marking Goa’s entry into the medals table. In the 77 kg category, Nikita (Chhattisgarh) won the gold, Srimati Jani (Odisha) the silver and Joyshree Patir (Assam) the bronze.
Football
In the group stage in men’s football, West Bengal comfortably beat Madhya Pradesh 3-0. Bijay Murmu (44), Saurav Sabbar (51) and Rahul Murmu (90) scored a goal each. Goa beat Lakshadweep 2-1. Goa took the lead early through Prajay Sakharam Gaude (5), and consolidated their lead when Prathamesh Damodar Gaonkar found the net in the 80th minute. For Lakshadweep, Saifudheen Azhar BC reduced the margin in the 89th minute. Chhattisgarh beat Tamil Nadu 3-0. For Chhattisgarh, Pravin Kumar Netam scored in the very first minute of the game. Manish Kumar Kowachi (27) and Manoj Kumar Lekam (61) then consolidated the lead. In another match, Arunachal Pradesh beat Mizoram 5-1. For Arunachal Pradesh, Rahul Goju Singpho scored a brace (18, 90), Olik Tayeng (9) and Jagom Loyi (73) scored one each, while the fifth came through an own goal by Mizoram in the 37th minute. The lone scorer for Mizoram was Vanlalram Nghaka (42).
There were no matches in women’s football on Saturday.
Wrestling
Saturday was the first day of the wrestling event. Vasava Mukeshbhai (Gujarat) and Anjitkumar Munda (Jharkhand) entered the final of the men’s Greco-Roman 67 kg category. Similarly, Munir Hussain (Jammu and Kashmir) and Vikram Pawar (Maharashtra) entered the final of the men’s freestyle 74 kg category.
In the men’s Greco-Roman 97 kg category, Navish Kumar (Himachal Pradesh) will face Shama Hoon (Jammu and Kashmir) in the final.
In the women’s freestyle 50 kg category, Poonam Oraon will face K Geetha for the honors. In the women’s freestyle 62 kg category, Debi Daimary will face Priyanka Chaudhary in the finals.
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