Raipur, March 26 (NationPress) Swimmer Manikanta L. has remarkably propelled Karnataka to the forefront of the medals tally, securing three additional gold medals on Thursday. This achievement escalates his individual gold count to five. Meanwhile, Odisha’s Anjali Munda showcased her prowess by clinching a hat-trick of golds during the swimming events on the second day of the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026 in Raipur.

In a moment of joy for the host state, Chhattisgarh, local athlete Anushka Bhagat secured a second silver medal by finishing as the runner-up in the women’s 200m individual medley race, having previously earned silver in the 100m breaststroke on Wednesday.

As of the conclusion of Day 2, Karnataka leads the medal count with eight golds, three silvers, and one bronze. Odisha follows closely with five golds, one silver, and eight bronzes. Assam stands third with two golds among five medals, while Chhattisgarh ranks sixth with three medals (two silvers and one bronze).

The inaugural edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 features participation from 30 states and Union Territories, with around 3800 athletes competing across nine sports disciplines. A total of 106 gold medals are available in sports like archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, with traditional sports such as Mallakhamb and Kabaddi also featured.

Among the impressive displays in the swimming events on Thursday, Manikanta emerged as the standout star, having triumphed in every race he entered. The Karnataka swimmer began his day by winning the 200m Individual Medley in a time of 2:25.93s, followed by a victory in the 100m Backstroke final with a time of 1:07.94s. He then anchored Karnataka’s 4x100m relay team, achieving a total of five golds.

“I am thrilled that all my years of hard work are paying off. While I am pleased with five gold medals, I am competing in nine events and aim to secure gold in all,” Manikanta expressed, training at the Basvangudi Aquatic Centre under coach Rajeev.

Odisha dominated the women’s swimming events, with Anjali Munda winning two golds. She first secured the 200m freestyle gold on Wednesday, followed by a gold in the women’s 200m IM with a time of 2:53.82s, while Chhattisgarh’s Anushka Bhagat took silver (2:59.33s) and Odisha’s Anjali Mallick claimed bronze (3:06.13s).

Anjali later added the 100m backstroke title to her accolades with a time of 1:19.98s, while Karnataka’s Nidhi S won silver (1:26.18s).

Although Anjali did not swim in the 4x100 relay, her teammates Ritika Minz, Krushna Nayak, Rupali Hembram, and Subhasmita Baipai secured gold with a time of 5:06.12s, defeating Gujarat (5:54.37s) and Karnataka (6:29.69s).

Odisha’s fourth gold came from former Asian Championships gold medallist Jhilli Dalabehera in the weightlifting hall, where she triumphed against Kiuchangliu Gangmei of Manipur due to her lower body weight after both lifted an identical total of 160kg.

Earlier, Assam’s Monikha Sonowal and Mizoram’s Isak Malsawmtluanga overcame injury concerns to achieve weightlifting golds in the women’s 48kg and men’s 60kg categories, respectively.

Sonowal, nursing a knee injury, excelled in the women’s 48kg event, lifting 57kg in snatch and 75kg in Clean & Jerk for a total of 132kg. Deepa Rani Mallik of Odisha (120kg) and Alaaska Aleena of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (115kg) earned silver and bronze.

Monikha, from Dhemaji district in Assam, had faced a knee injury during training, but expressed, “I wanted to make my mark on the national stage and I am pleased I performed under pressure.”

Malsawmtluanga also battled through a back injury sustained a month prior to the Games. Despite struggling initially in the snatch, he redeemed himself in Clean & Jerk, lifting 130kg to secure gold with a total of 235kg, while Subrat Naik from Odisha finished with a total of 228kg.

RESULTS

FOOTBALL

Men:

Group A: Chhattisgarh drew with West Bengal 1-1

Group B: Arunachal Pradesh beat Goa 2-0

SWIMMING

Women:

200m IM: Gold – Anjali Munda (Odisha) 2:53.82s; Silver – Anushka Bhagat (Chhattisgarh) 2:59.33s; Bronze –Anjali Mallick (Odisha) 3:06.13s

100m Backstroke: Gold – Anjali Munda (Odisha) 1:19.98s; Silver – Nidhi S (Karnataka) 1:26.18s; Bronze – Parmila Molsom (Tripura) 1:28.14s

4x100m relay: Gold – Odisha 5:06.12s; Silver – Gujarat 5:54.37s; Bronze – Karnataka 6:29.69s

Men:

200m IM: Gold – Manikanta L (Karnataka) 2:25.93s; Silver – Riyaj Tripura (Tripura) 2:34.04s; Bronze – Kanhu Soren (Odisha) 2:36.21s

100m Backstroke: Gold – Manikanta L (Karnataka) 1:07.74s; Silver – Nibir Nilim Krow (Assam) 1:09.25s; Bronze – Rajesh Soren (Odisha) 1:10.99s

4x100m relay: Karnataka 4:00.42s; Silver – Assam 4:02.86s; Bronze – Odisha 4:25.90s

WEIGHTLIFTING

Women:

48kg: Gold – Monikha Sonowal (Assam) 132kg; Silver – Deepa Rani Mallik (Odisha) 120kg; Bronze – Alaaska Aleena (Andaman and Nicobar Island) 115kg

53kg: Gold – Jhilli Dalabehera (Odisha) 160kg; Silver – Kiuchangliu Gangmei (Manipur) 160kg; Bronze – Larityngkai Lawriniang (Meghalaya) 132kg

Men:

60kg: Gold – Isak Malsawmtluanga (Mizoram) 235kg; Silver – Babulal Hembrom (Jharkhand) 230kg; Bronze – Subrat Naik (Odisha) 228kg

65kg: Gold – Manuranjan Dhekial (ASM) 247kg; Silver – Laithanpuia (Mizoram) 237kg; Bronze – Om Kumar (Jharkhand) 231kg.