Raipur, April 2 (NationPress) The Chhattisgarh women's football squad showcased their exceptional talent in the first-ever Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026, driven by their remarkable captain Kiran Pisda, as they triumphed over Jharkhand with a score of 1-0 in the final, securing the coveted gold medal in Raipur on Thursday.

The home team also celebrated a silver medal in the men’s 4x400m relay and a bronze in the men’s 1500m event, making significant strides in their overall medal count on the second-to-last day of athletics competitions held in Jagdalpur. Additionally, Jharkhand’s Shiv Kumar Soren achieved a remarkable double by seizing gold in the 200m sprint, adding to his earlier victory in the 100m.

The Chhattisgarh women seized the only opportunity they had against a determined Jharkhand team when their captain capitalized on a defensive oversight, scoring in the 61st minute, and then successfully defended their lead to claim the championship.

“This is an extraordinary moment for us as we had so many fans cheering for us, and I’m thrilled we could win the gold medal in front of our home crowd,” expressed an overjoyed Kiran, the sole international player on the team.

A total of 30 States and Union Territories are partaking in this inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games, featuring nearly 3,800 athletes competing across seven disciplines, including archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, with Mallakhamb and Kabaddi as demonstration sports.

On the concluding day of athletics in Jagdalpur, Soren, along with Karnataka's Reethushree and Nagini, each secured their second gold medals on the Kreeda Parisar athletics track.

Soren, who was recognized as the fastest athlete of the Games on Tuesday, finished the 200m race in 21.51 seconds. Earlier, Reethushree added the 200m gold to her 400m victory with a time of 25.87 seconds, while Nagini completed her double by winning the women’s 800m in 4:43.87 seconds.

The hosts, Chhattisgarh, earned a silver in the men’s 4x400m relay, finishing just behind Odisha with a time of 3:19.26 seconds compared to Odisha’s 3:18.47 seconds, while Jharkhand secured the bronze with a time of 3:19.62 seconds.

Previously, Manish Kumar contributed a bronze to Chhattisgarh’s medal haul with a time of 4:01.50 seconds in the men’s 1500m final. The gold was awarded to Jharkhand’s Rahul Oraon (4:01.18 seconds) and Maharashtra’s Kartik Karilharpal took silver (4:01.23 seconds).

As the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games draw to a close, Chhattisgarh holds the ninth position with three golds, nine silvers, and six bronzes.

With Reethushree and Nagini adding two gold medals to Karnataka’s count, the leading state now boasts 23 gold, eight silver, and seven bronze medals.

Odisha ranks second with 20 gold, 13 silver, and 21 bronze medals, while Jharkhand fortified their standing with four golds in athletics and one in archery, totaling 14 golds, seven silvers, and 11 bronzes.

Jharkhand’s archery gold was clinched by former world junior champion Komalika Bari and Krishna Pingua, who triumphed in the recurve mixed team event, defeating Odisha’s Arjun Khara and Mamitaoram.

Maharashtra’s Harshwardhan Ingle secured the compound men’s individual title and later added the compound mixed team gold, increasing the state’s total to six golds, 10 silvers, and four bronzes, placing them fourth overall.

RESULTS

ARCHERY

Women

Compound Individual: Gold – Priya Banavath (Andhra Pradesh); Silver – Megha Besra (Jharkhand); Bronze – Vaishnavi Pardeshi (Maharashtra)

Compound Team: Gold – Meghalaya; Silver – Nagaland; Bronze – Jharkhand

Men

Compound Individual: Gold – Harshwardhan Ingle (Maharashtra); Silver – Keshaba Banara (Odisha); Bronze – Sagar Raita (Odisha)

Compound Team: Gold – Meghalaya; Silver – Assam; Bronze – Odisha

Compound Mixed Team: Gold – Maharashtra; Silver – Andhra Pradesh; Bronze – Jharkhand

Recurve Mixed Team: Gold – Jharkhand; Silver – Odisha; Bronze – Nagaland

ATHLETICS

Women

200m: Gold – Reethushree (Karnataka) 25.87s; Silver – Anamika Oraon (Jharkhand) 26.13s; Bronze – Adhithya KM (Kerala) 26.67s

1500m: Gold – Nagini (Karnataka) 4:43.87s; Silver – Shakila Vasave (Maharashtra) 4:48.94s; Bronze – Sunita Santa (Odisha) 4:53.72s

10000m: Gold – Sanjita Oraon (West Bengal) 40:21.18s; Silver – Sandhya Murmu (Odisha) 41:17.79s; Bronze – Balarisha Thyrniang (Meghalaya) 42:29.41s

4x400m relay: Gold – Jharkhand 3:58.03s; Silver – Odisha 4:05.69s; Bronze – Maharashtra 4:11.90s

Long Jump: Gold – Priti Lakra (Jharkhand) 5.54m; Silver – Martina Lakra (Madhya Pradesh) 5.47m; Bronze – Mayuri Gamit (Gujarat) 5.42m

Men

200m: Gold – Shiv Kumar Soren (Jharkhand) 21.51s; Silver – Arpan Tai (Assam) 22.38s; Bronze – Jagdish Meena (Rajasthan) 22.48s

1500m: Gold – Rahul Oraon (Jharkhand) 4:01.18s; Silver – Kartik Kariharpal (Maharashtra) 4:01.23s; Bronze – Manish Kumar (Chhattisgarh) 4:01.50s

10,000m: Gold – Wede Tmero (Nagaland) 32:28.46s; Silver – Kamlakar Deshmukh (Maharashtra) 32:42.29s; Bronze – Hans Raj (J&K) 32:54.98s

4x400m: Gold – Odisha 3:18.47s; Silver – Chhattisgarh 3:19.26s; Bronze – Jharkhand 3:19.62s

Javelin Throw: Gold – Gulab Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 62.80m; Silver – Promod Hagier (Assam) 62.30m; Bronze – Somnath Singh (Odisha) 58.05m

FOOTBALL

Women’s final: Chhattisgarh (Kiran Pisda 61’) defeated Jharkhand 0

Gold – Chhattisgarh; Silver – Jharkhand; Bronze – Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat