Tribal Games 2026: Jharkhand's Sprinters & Lakshadweep's Historic Leap Shine

Jharkhand athletes Shiv Kumar Soren and Prithvi Oraon were crowned the fastest man and woman, respectively, on Day 7 of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026. Hosts Chhattisgarh had a strong day with Siddharth Nagesh winning shot put gold and the women's football team advancing to the final. In a historic moment, Abdul Fathah became the first long jumper from Lakshadweep to clear the 7-meter mark, claiming the gold medal. Karnataka continues to lead the overall medals tally, while Jharkhand jumped to third position.

Key Points: Khelo India Tribal Games 2026: Day 7 Athletics Highlights

  • Jharkhand sweeps 100m golds
  • Lakshadweep's first 7m long jump
  • Hosts Chhattisgarh reach football final
  • Karnataka leads medals tally
  • Siddharth Nagesh wins shot put gold
3 min read

KITG 2026: Jharkhand's Shiv Kumar, Prithvi Oraon shine in Athletics on Day 7

Shiv Kumar Soren & Prithvi Oraon win 100m golds. Lakshadweep's Abdul Fathah makes history with 7m long jump. See Day 7 results & medals tally.

"I was confident of winning a medal... I am happy that I could set my personal best time. - Prithvi Oraon"

Raipur, March 31

Shiv Kumar Soren and Prithvi Oraon, both from Jharkhand, were crowned the fastest men and women athletes in the inaugural edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 at the Kreeda Parisar ground in Jagdalpur on Tuesday.

Further, Siddharth Nagesh clinched a shot put gold and discus throw silver while Tilak Barsel bagged the men's 100m silver for hosts Chhattisgarh, according to a release.

Shiv Kumar and Prithvi led their 100m races respectively from start to finish to capture the golden double for their State. Shiv Kumar clocked a time of 10.58s while Barsel finished the race in 10.87sec to clinch the silver medal. Odisha's Atish Kindo (10.91s) took the bronze medal.

In the women's 100m final, 16-year-old Prithvi clocked her best time ever to clinch the gold, stopping the clock at 12.73s. Nagaland's Ruduolhounuo Belho (12.90s) and Putul Bakshi of Jharkhand (13.03s) took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively.

"I was confident of winning a medal as I had done well in the selection trials for the Games. Today, I focused on giving my best, and I am happy that I could set my personal best time," said Prithvi after the race.

For the hosts, Siddharth Nagesh began the day with a silver medal in men's discus throw with a distance of 35.56m. Gujarat's Danish Makvana bagged the gold with a throw of 44.83m while Chandray Murmu of Odisha (33.97m) won the bronze.

In the evening session, he went one step further by grabbing the shot put gold with a distance of 13.52m. Danish Makvana got the silver with a throw of 13.04m.

Hosts Chhattisgarh also reached the women's football final, beating Arunachal Pradesh in a penalty shootout. Chhattisgarh are now in 10th place in the medals tally with two gold, seven silver and four bronze medals. Chhattisgarh will now take on Jharkhand in the summit clash after the latter defeated Gujarat 9-0 in a dominant show.

Karnataka continue to lead the medals tally with 19 gold, seven silver and seven bronze while Odisha are second with 13 gold, eight silver and 15 bronze medals.

Jharkhand jumped to the third spot in the overall rankings after adding the women's 4x100m gold and men's 77kg Greco-Roman gold to take their tally to seven gold, two silver and five bronze. Abhishek Munda bagged the gold medal, beating Himachal Pradesh's Arfan at Ambikapur.

With last evening's athletics session cancelled due to unseasonal rains in Jagdalpur, it was a packed morning session with seven finals, and the long jump final kept the spectators on the edge of their seats.

It was Abdul Fathah who had the last laugh in a keen contest with Bhima Sardar of Odisha as the 26-year-old became the first long jumper from Lakshadweep to clear the 7m mark. He leapt to a distance of 7.03 in the final attempt to clinch the gold medal with Bhima taking home silver with an effort of 6.96m. Odisha's Jivan Bilung bagged the bronze medal with a distance of 6.95m.

On the track, the men's 400m final witnessed a photo-finish, but Odisha's Nobal Kumar Kissan's last-ditch dive at the finish line was not enough for him to beat eventual champion Santoshbhai Ganvit of Gujarat. Ganvit clocked a time of 49.332 seconds while Nobal finished second with a time of 49.335 seconds. Karnataka's Ramu took the bronze with a time of 49.60s.

Manasi Kunkalka opened Goa's gold medal account by winning the women's Shot Put gold with a distance of 9.72m. Bihar's Anamika Gond (9.50m) and Meghalaya's Melibadkro (9.43m) took home silver and bronze medals, respectively.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The photo-finish in the men's 400m sounds absolutely thrilling! 49.332 vs 49.335 seconds is a difference of just milliseconds. Hats off to the athletes for such fierce competition. It's great to see Gujarat and Odisha performing so well too.
P
Priya S
Abdul Fathah from Lakshadweep clearing 7m in long jump is historic! First from the islands to do so. This is exactly why we need platforms like these – to give athletes from smaller regions a national stage. Bahut badhiya! 👏
R
Rohit P
Happy for the hosts Chhattisgarh as well. Siddharth Nagesh with a gold and silver, and the women's football team in the final! Although, I wish the article gave a bit more detail on the football match. The 9-0 win by Jharkhand sounds brutal for Gujarat.
V
Vikram M
Karnataka leading the tally as expected, they have a strong sports system. But Odisha and Jharkhand are giving them a good fight. It's heartening to see so many states winning medals. Hope the unseasonal rain doesn't disrupt more events.
M
Michael C
While the performances are excellent, I hope the infrastructure and support for these tribal athletes continues beyond the games. Winning is one thing, but sustained training and opportunities are what will create true champions for India at the Asian and Olympic level.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50