From Pool Cleaner to Podium: Assam Wrestler Debi Daimari's Silver Lining

The 28-year-old from Dineshpur village in Sisupani, Golaghat district of Assam, lost her parents at the age of seven and had to move in with his uncle and aunt and had to work odd jobs just to keep training due to financial difficulties, according to a press release from the KITG 2026.

And all those efforts finally bore fruit when Debi clinched the silver medal in the women's 62kg category at the Khelo India Tribal Games here.

"This medal is the result of my hard work. I started wrestling in 2022 at the Khelo India Centre near Kaziranga in Bokakhat. To train there, I had to rent a room nearby, but I didn't have the money to pay Rs 1000 as rent, so I had to take up a part-time job for a year," said Debi, who belongs to the Bodo tribe.

"In 2022, I worked at an Easy Bazaar store in Bokakhat for a monthly salary of Rs 2500. In 2023, I got a job at Bon Villa Resort in Kaziranga, where I earned around Rs 7000 per month. I used to clean the swimming pool there.

"After working all day, I could only manage two hours of wrestling practice in the evening. Whatever I have achieved, this silver medal is the result of that effort. But I am not satisfied -- I now want to work even harder and win gold," she said.

The inaugural edition, being hosted by Chhattisgarh from March 25 to April 3, 2026, will feature 9 sports disciplines -- 7 Competitive Sports (Archery, Athletics, Football, Hockey, Swimming, Weightlifting, and Wrestling) and 2 Demonstration Sports (Mallakhamb and Kabaddi) -- spread across the venues of Raipur, Jagdalpur, and Sarguja.

Before stepping onto the wrestling mat, Debi was involved in powerlifting and arm wrestling. In 2022, she met Assam team coach Anustup Narah, under whose guidance she learned the nuances of wrestling.

Coach Anustup recalled, "I met her during an arm-wrestling tournament in Bokakhat in 2022. I immediately told her to take up wrestling. After some thought, she agreed. I advised her to stay near the centre for better training. She said she couldn't afford the rent, so I helped her get a job through the district wrestling association and arranged a bicycle for her. She used that bicycle to commute to work and training."

In the very same year after starting wrestling training, Debi qualified for the Senior State Championships held in Visakhapatnam. Two years later, in 2024, she went on to win a gold medal at the State Championship.

Debi got married in 2025, and the support of her husband and the in-laws has only made her more determined to succeed on the national stage.

"My in-laws are very supportive, and my husband, who works in Bengaluru, constantly supports me by sending money so that I don't face any difficulties.

"My next aim is to win medals at the senior level and then compete internationally. I am working day and night for that. Once I return, I will follow the plan my coach sets for me," she added.

- ANI