Raipur, March 27 (NationPress) “Maybe he’s busy at the construction site,” Monikha Sonowal joked as she attempted to reach her father once more. Just moments earlier, Monikha had proudly secured the gold medal in the women’s 48kg weightlifting category at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 held here. She was eager to share the news with her father, Padmadhar Sonowal, a mason who dedicates long hours at construction sites to support their family of four and has been Monikha's strongest ally throughout her athletic journey.

As the elder of two siblings, Monikha comes from Batghoria Penbeni Chowk, a small and relatively obscure area in Assam’s Dhemaji district, located on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River, about 425 kilometers from Guwahati. Life in the village unfolds at a tranquil, unhurried pace, where many families' aspirations seldom reach beyond daily responsibilities and making ends meet.

However, for Monikha, the clanking of barbells in the weightlifting gym became the background to a dream that refused to diminish. Despite facing financial constraints, her initial curiosity about the sport gradually evolved into a deep-seated passion, influenced by the international success of Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu from nearby Manipur.

On Thursday, that dream materialized into a moment of national pride as she triumphed over a knee injury to secure the inaugural weightlifting gold medal of the Games, culminating years of hard work since she embraced the sport.

A pivotal moment in her journey occurred two years ago when she joined the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Itanagar. “NCOE Itanagar provided me with everything an athlete from a village like mine could only dream of. Comprehensive training, nutrition, guidance, and injury management. Without that support, achieving this level would have been extremely challenging,” stated Monikha, who is part of the Kachari Tribe.

Her advancement since then has been consistent. Monikha earned gold at the School Nationals in 2023, followed by a silver medal at the Khelo India ASMITA League in Sambalpur, Odisha, in 2024. In 2025, she captured a bronze medal at the State Championships in Tezpur and placed eighth at the Inter-University Championships in Chandigarh.

However, the path to her recent victory was anything but easy. For the past three months, Monikha, now a second-semester BA student at Dhemaji City College, has been grappling with a right knee injury acquired during training.

Concerned about exacerbating the situation, her coaches recommended she withdraw from the Khelo India Tribal Games. Yet the determined 19-year-old weightlifter felt she could not afford to miss the opportunity. Monikha chose to compete and push through the discomfort.

“My coaches were worried about my knee and suggested that it might be wise to rest,” she reflected. “But chances like the Khelo India Tribal Games are rare. I didn’t want to miss out on competing on such a significant platform.

“I aim to continue improving and represent India someday. This gold is just the beginning,” Monikha concluded.