Manikanta's Golden Hat-Trick, Anjali Munda Shines at Khelo India Tribal Games

Manikanta dominated the men's 200m Individual Medley (IM), clocking 2:25.93s to complete a hat-trick of gold medals, having earlier won the 100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly events. Tripura's Riyaj Tripura (2:34.04s) claimed silver, while Odisha's Kanhu Soren (2:36.21s) settled for bronze.

In the women's 200m IM, Anjali Munda, who had already won gold in the 200m freestyle on Wednesday, added another top podium finish with a timing of 2:53.82s. Chhattisgarh's Anushka Bhagat provided the home crowd a reason to cheer by winning silver in 2:59.33s, her second medal of the Games, while Odisha's Anjali Mallick took bronze with 3:06.13s.

The inaugural edition of the Games has drawn participation from 30 states and Union Territories, featuring close to 3,800 athletes competing across nine disciplines. A total of 106 gold medals are on offer in archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, while Mallakhamb and Kabaddi are being held as demonstration sports.

Karnataka currently leads the medals tally with six gold and two silver medals, followed by Odisha with three gold, one silver, and four bronze medals.

In weightlifting, Assam's Monikha Sonowal and Mizoram's Isak Malsawmtluanga overcame injury concerns to deliver gold-winning performances.

Competing in the women's 48kg category, Monikha lifted 57kg in snatch and 75kg in clean and jerk for a total of 132kg to secure gold. Odisha's Deepa Rani Mallik (120kg) and Alaaska Aleena of Andaman and Nicobar Islands (115kg) won silver and bronze, respectively.

Monikha, who hails from Assam's Dhemaji district, had been struggling with a knee injury sustained three months ago and was nearly withdrawn from the Games.

"I was clear that I did not want to miss this event because I wanted to make a mark on the national stage, and I am happy that I could perform under pressure," said the 19-year-old.

In the men's 60kg category, Malsawmtluanga battled a back injury to clinch gold with a total lift of 235kg. Despite trailing after the snatch, where he struggled to lift 108kg in his third attempt, he made a strong comeback in the clean and jerk with a successful 130kg lift.

Jharkhand's Babulal Hembrom secured silver with a total of 230kg, while Odisha's Subrat Naik finished third with 228kg.

Results:

Football (Men):

Group A: Chhattisgarh drew with West Bengal 1-1

Group B: Arunachal Pradesh beat Goa 2-0

Swimming

Women's 200m IM:

Gold - Anjali Munda (Odisha) 2:53.82s

Silver - Anushka Bhagat (Chhattisgarh) 2:59.33s

Bronze - Anjali Mallick (Odisha) 3:06.13s

Men's 200m IM:

Gold - Manikanta L (Karnataka) 2:25.93s

Silver - Riyaj Tripura (Tripura) 2:34.04s

Bronze - Kanhu Soren (Odisha) 2:36.21s

Weightlifting

Women's 48kg:

Gold - Monikha Sonowal (Assam) 132kg

Silver - Deepa Rani Mallik (Odisha) 120kg

Bronze - Alaaska Aleena (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) 115kg

Women's 53kg:

Gold - Jhilli Dalabehera (Odisha) 160kg

Silver - Kiuchangliu Gangmei (Manipur) 160kg

Bronze - Larityngkai Lawriniang (Meghalaya) 132kg

Men's 60kg:

Gold - Isak Malsawmtluanga (Mizoram) 235kg

Silver - Babulal Hembrom (Jharkhand) 230kg

Bronze - Subrat Naik (Odisha) 228kg

- IANS