RAIPUR (Chhattisgarh, India): The men’s and women’s teams of Odisha entered the finals of hockey on Day 6 on Monday at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026 even as Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka won two gold medals each in wrestling.
Earlier, Maharashtra began their athletics campaign at with a bang, recording a 1-2 finish in the men’s 5,000 meters.
Karnataka won 2 gold and 2 bronze in wrestling to remain on top of the table with a haul of 28 medals. Their tally now includes 17 gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze. Odisha continued on second spot as their tally remained unchanged at 23 with 9 gold, 4 silver and 10 bronze. Arunachal Pradesh added a gold to take their tally to 9 and continued on third spot with 6 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze. Hosts Chhattisgarh continued at ninth spot with their tally of 10 medals, which include 1 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze.
Athletics
In athletics, Govind Padekar (Maharashtra) won the gold while his team-mate Suraj Mashi won the silver in men’s 5,000 meters. Ranglal Dodiyar (Madhya Pradesh) won the bronze medal.
In the women’s 5,000 meters, Nedi Ngi (Arunachal Pradesh) clinched the gold, Aarti Dawar (Madhya Pradesh) the silver and Tsuchoi T (Nagaland) the bronze. This marked Nagaland’s entry into the medals table.
Monday was the first day of the athletics events.
Football
In the group stage in men’s football, West Bengal blanked out Tamil Nadu 9-0, while Goa overcame Mizoram 4-1. Chhattisgarh got the better of Madhya Pradesh 4-0 in a one-sided match, and Arunachal Pradesh comfortably beat Lakshadweep 3-1.
A hat-trick by Rahul Murmu supported by six others who scored a goal each helped West Bengal record a one-sided win. Rahul gave his team the lead in the very first minute. West Bengal then kept adding to the agony of their rivals as they scored at regular intervals through Bijay Murmu (14), Rahul Murmu (16), Karan Chand Murmu (23), Akash Oraow (30), Sanjoy Oraw (36), Dilip Oraon (61) and Sujal Munda (76), and finally Rahul (80) completing his hat-trick.
Mizoram began well, gaining an early lead through Lalram Nunmawla (16), but the scores got tied with an own goal by Joshua Ngente (42) in their outing against Goa. A late goal by Jef Barreto (88) gave Goa the lead, and Pratamesh Gaonkar scored a brace in the last minute (90, 90) to record a convincing win.
Chhattisgarh beat Madhya Pradesh 4-0 thanks to a brace each by Shashikant (28, 73), and Rajesh Kumar Mandavi (36, 90). In another match, Arunachal Pradesh dominated the proceedings as it found the net thrice through Lentem Panyang (37), Rahul Goju Singpho (47) and Tarh Dolu (60). Mohammed Shihabudeen NC (71) salvaged some prestige for Lakshadweep.
There were no matches in women’s football on Monday.
Hockey
Odisha is assured of at least two silver medals in hockey as both their men’s women’s teams made into the finals of hockey on Monday. Odisha women will meet Mizoram, while Odisha men will meet Jharkhand.
Odisha will meet Mizoram in the final of the women’s hockey. In the semi-finals on Monday, Mizoram narrowly beat Jharkhand 3-2, while Odisha blanked out Madhya Pradesh 8-0.
In the first semi-final, Jharkhand took the lead through Roshni Aind (14), but Marina Lalramnghaki (17) quickly brought Mizoram on par. Agnes Malsawkimi (27) put Mizoram ahead. Jharkhand then equalized when Parwati Topno (57) sounded the board, but Lalrindiki (60) quickly gave Mizoram the lead that they held on to till the final whistle.
In the other semi-final, Odisha scored a massive win against Madhya Pradesh thanks to a hat-trick by Pratibha Ekka (16, 37, 50), and a brace each by Aliva Jate (12, 24), Manisha Oram (19, 49), while Rambha Kujur (23) chipped in with a single goal.
In men’s hockey, Jharkhand will meet Odisha in the finals of the men’s hockey. Jharkhand roared into the finals with a resounding 8-1 win over Madhya Pradesh. Simond Bodra (4) gave Jharkhand an early breakthrough, after which goals came at regular intervals from Ashi Tirkey (8, 60) Navin Kerketta (15), Joseph Ekka (25), Dilbar Barla (47, 49) and Jaimasih Tuti (52). For Madhya Pradesh, only Mayank Karma (31) found his mark.
In the other semi-final, Odisha beat Chhattisgarh 2-1. Satish Munda (5) scored early for Odisha. Sumit Minj (31) equalized for Chhattisgarh. However, Abhishek Lakra (56) gave Odisha a slender lead, which they held on to till the final whistle.
Wrestling
In men’s wrestling, Rohan Doddamani (Karnataka) clinched the gold beating Dinesh Solanki (Rajasthan) in the final of the Greco-Roman 60 kg category.
In the finals of the freestyle 97 kg category, Hamam Hussain (Jammu and Kashmir) beat Mohit Kumar (Himachal Pradesh) to win the gold, while in the finals of the Greco-Roman 87 kg category, Piyush Gujjar (Himachal Pradesh) beat Riyaz Hussain (Jammu and Kashmir) to win the gold.
In the freestyle 65 kg category, Mulayam Kharwar (Bihar) beat Rakesh Kumar Meena (Rajasthan) to clinch the gold.
In women’s wrestling, Neha Oraon (Jharkhand) won the gold and Pritima Khakhlary (Assam) the silver in the freestyle 53 kg category. In the freestyle 76 kg category, Manisha Juwava Siddi (Karnataka) won the gold and Muskan (Himachal Pradesh) the silver.
Tags: Khelo India Tribal Games, KITG, Maharashtra, football, athletics, hockey, Odisha, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Karnataka, wrestling
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