Kiran Pisda Fires Chhattisgarh to Football Gold; Soren, Rithushree, Nagini Shine in Athletics

Raipur, April 2026: Chhattisgarh’s women’s football team continued its impressive run in the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026, defeating Jharkhand 1-0 in the final to win the gold medal. Captain Kiran Pisda’s individual brilliance proved decisive in securing the victory.

The host state also added to its medal tally in athletics, winning silver in the men’s 4×400 metre relay and bronze in the men’s 1500 metre event during the final phase of track and field competitions held in Jagdalpur. Meanwhile, Jharkhand’s Shiv Kumar Soren completed a remarkable sprint double by clinching gold in the 200 metres after earlier winning the 100 metres title.

Chhattisgarh capitalised on a rare opportunity against an attacking Jharkhand side, as Kiran Pisda struck in the 61st minute, taking advantage of a defensive lapse to score the match-winning goal. The hosts then held firm to preserve their lead till the final whistle and claim the title.

“This is a very special moment for us because, for the first time, we had so many spectators supporting us. I am very happy that we could win the gold medal in front of our home crowd,” said Kiran after the match.

The first edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games has brought together around 3,800 athletes from 30 states and Union Territories. The competition features seven sports — archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling — while Mallakhamb and kabaddi are being showcased as demonstration sports.

On the concluding day of athletics, apart from Soren, Karnataka athletes Rithushree and Nagini also secured their second gold medals of the event. Soren, who had earlier emerged as the fastest runner, clocked 21.51 seconds to win the 200 metres. Rithushree added the 200m gold (25.87 seconds) to her earlier 400m title, while Nagini completed a double by winning both the 800m and 1500m races, clocking 4:43.87 in the latter.

In the men’s 4×400 metre relay, Odisha claimed gold with a timing of 3:18.47, followed by Chhattisgarh at 3:19.26, while Jharkhand finished third. Earlier, Manish Kumar secured bronze for Chhattisgarh in the men’s 1500 metres with a timing of 4:01.50. Jharkhand’s Rahul Uraon won gold, while Maharashtra’s Kartik Kariharpal took silver.

With just one day remaining before the conclusion of the Games, the medal standings witnessed significant shifts. Chhattisgarh climbed to ninth place with three gold, nine silver, and six bronze medals.

Karnataka continues to lead the table with 23 gold medals, along with eight silver and seven bronze. Odisha holds second place with 20 gold, 13 silver, and 21 bronze medals, while Jharkhand is third with 14 gold, seven silver, and 11 bronze.

Jharkhand also secured gold in archery through the recurve mixed team event, where the duo of former World Junior Champion Komalika Bari and Krishna Pingua defeated Odisha’s Arjun Khara and Mamata Oram in the final.

Maharashtra’s Harshvardhan Engle enjoyed a successful campaign, winning gold in the men’s compound individual event and later partnering with Vaishnavi Pardeshi to clinch the compound mixed team title. Maharashtra now stands fourth overall with six gold, 10 silver, and four bronze medals.

The Games have not only delivered thrilling performances but also highlighted emerging talent from tribal regions, offering them a national platform to shine.

Results

Archery

Women
Compound Individual: Gold – Priya Banawat (Andhra Pradesh); Silver – Megha Besra (Jharkhand); Bronze – Vaishnavi Pardeshi (Maharashtra)

Compound Team: Gold – Meghalaya; Silver – Nagaland; Bronze – Jharkhand

Men
Compound Individual: Gold – Harshvardhan Engle (Maharashtra); Silver – Keshaba Banara (Odisha); Bronze – Sagar Raita (Odisha)

Compound Team: Gold – Meghalaya; Silver – Assam; Bronze – Odisha

Compound Mixed Team: Gold – Maharashtra; Silver – Andhra Pradesh; Bronze – Jharkhand

Recurve Mixed Team: Gold – Jharkhand; Silver – Odisha; Bronze – Nagaland

Athletics

Women
200 metres: Gold – Rithushree (Karnataka) 25.87 seconds; Silver – Anamika Uraon (Jharkhand) 26.13 seconds; Bronze – Aditya KM (Kerala) 26.67 seconds

1500 metres: Gold – Nagini (Karnataka) 4:43.87; Silver – Shakila Vasave (Maharashtra) 4:48.94; Bronze – Sunita Santa (Odisha) 4:53.72

10000 metres: Gold – Sanjita Uraon (West Bengal) 40:21.18; Silver – Sandhya Murmu (Odisha) 41:17.79; Bronze – Balarisha Thirniang (Meghalaya) 42:29.41

4×400 metre relay: Gold – Jharkhand 3:58.03; Silver – Odisha 4:05.69; Bronze – Maharashtra 4:11.90

Long Jump: Gold – Preeti Lakda (Jharkhand) 5.54 metres; Silver – Martina Lakda (Madhya Pradesh) 5.47 metres; Bronze – Mayuri Gamit (Gujarat) 5.42 metres

Men
200 metres: Gold – Shiv Kumar Soren (Jharkhand) 21.51 seconds; Silver – Arpan Tai (Assam) 22.38 seconds; Bronze – Jagdish Meena (Rajasthan) 22.48 seconds

1500 metres: Gold – Rahul Uraon (Jharkhand) 4:01.18; Silver – Kartik Kariharpal (Maharashtra) 4:01.23; Bronze – Manish Kumar (Chhattisgarh) 4:01.50

10000 metres: Gold – Wede Temero (Nagaland) 32:28.46; Silver – Kamalakar Deshmukh (Maharashtra) 32:42.29; Bronze – Hans Raj (Jammu & Kashmir) 32:54.98

4×400 metre relay: Gold – Odisha 3:18.47; Silver – Chhattisgarh 3:19.26; Bronze – Jharkhand 3:19.62

Javelin Throw: Gold – Gulab Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 62.80 metres; Silver – Pramod Hagier (Assam) 62.30 metres; Bronze – Somnath Singh (Odisha) 58.05 metres

Football
Women’s Final: Chhattisgarh (Kiran Pisda 61’) defeated Jharkhand 1-0

Gold – Chhattisgarh
Silver – Jharkhand
Bronze – Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat