Raipur/Ambikapur, Mar 31: Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh clinched two gold medals each in wrestling competitions on Day 5 of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, while Mizoram impressed in weightlifting to boost its overall standings.
Jharkhand opened its gold medal account with Poonam Oraon, who defeated Telangana’s Geetha K 6-3 in the women’s 50kg final. Anjit Kumar Munda added another gold for the state by winning the men’s 67kg Greco-Roman title.
Himachal Pradesh also secured two gold medals through Navish Kumar in the 97kg Greco-Roman category and Priyanka Chaudhary in the women’s 62kg event.
In weightlifting, Mizoram continued its strong showing, with Zosangzuali (women’s +86kg) and David Zohmingmawia (men’s +110kg) winning gold medals, taking the state’s tally to four and lifting it to fifth place in the overall standings.
Karnataka maintained its lead in the medal standings with 15 gold, six silver and four bronze medals, followed by Odisha with nine gold, four silver and 10 bronze medals. Hosts Chhattisgarh slipped to ninth place despite winning a silver through Rishika Kashyap and a bronze via Lucky Babu Markam.
In another highlight, Sambo Lapung of Arunachal Pradesh clinched gold in the men’s 100kg category with a total lift of 299kg, helping his state climb to third place, overtaking Assam. Mizoram’s David Lal Zawmdika secured silver with 270kg, while Chhattisgarh’s Lucky Babu Markam took bronze with 261kg.
Maharashtra also improved its position in the medal tally, with Sakshi Burkule winning gold in the women’s 86kg category with a total lift of 150kg, 29kg more than silver medallist Rishika Kashyap. Vinod Salkar added another gold for the state in the men’s 125kg freestyle Nordic wrestling event.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir opened its account with a gold and a silver in wrestling. Munir Hussain won the men’s 74kg freestyle gold with an 11-1 victory over Maharashtra’s Vikram Pawar, while Shama Hoon secured silver in the 97kg Greco-Roman category.
The competitions continue across venues in Chhattisgarh with several states vying for top honours.
