Odisha Teen Anjali Munda Swims to Historic Gold at Khelo India Tribal Games

Anjali hails from Gahiragadiya village in Odisha's Jajpur district, about 100 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, and knew swimming as a fun activity that involves splashing of water, but never had any structured training.

According to a press release, the youngest among the four siblings, whose father works as a van driver at a local factory, Anjali also moved to the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS), where tribal students from across the state receive free education and boarding, at the age of 10 and initially drew inspiration from her elder sister, who is an archer.

However, when the opportunity came, Anjali chose swimming as her own sporting path, trusting her natural comfort in the water. And though it took time for her to build the confidence to compete, Anjali has never looked back since winning a silver medal at a local club tournament a year later.

"The silver medal was the first in my life, and is very special. It gave me the confidence that I could do well in the sport. I have to thank my coaches for believing in me, and the effort that they put in during my training sessions," said the 15-year-old Anjali, who became the first female gold medallist on the opening day of the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games here on Wednesday.

In fact, had it not been for Anjali's effort of 2:39:02s to win the gold medal in the 200m freestyle, India's swimming powerhouse Karnataka would have swept all six gold medals on offer on the opening day.

And Anjali insists that her rising graph has been a result of the Union Sports Ministry's special initiatives, like the ASMITA League (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action).

"In 2024, I won two silver medals in the Khelo India ASMITA League, held in Sambalpur. I had finished within striking distance of the podium in the other two events. The medals boosted my confidence further, and I believed I could do well in the bigger tournaments," she added.

Anjali continued to excel at the recent Khelo India ASMITA (U-15 & U-18) Swimming League (East Zone) held on March 21 and 22 in Guwahati, winning a couple of silver medals.

Just days later, Anjali carried that form into the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Raipur and bagged her first gold medal on the national stage.

Despite the landmark victory, the Odisha teenager admitted she was not entirely satisfied with her performance as she had been aiming to better her personal best of 2:25s.

The youngster has now set her sights on improving her personal bests in the remaining events, the women's 50m backstroke, women's 100m backstroke and the 200m individual medley.

- ANI