Arunachal’s Nedi Ngi, Maharashtra’s Govind Padekar win 5000m gold medals
Athletics evening session had to be cancelled due to unseasonal rains in Jagdalpur
Karnataka extend their lead at the top of the medals tally to 17 gold with two gold medals from wrestling

Wrestler Mulayam Kharwar opens Bihar’s gold medal account with a win in men’s 65kg freestyle

Raipur: Arunachal Pradesh’s middle-distance runner Nedi Ngi clinched the women’s 5000m gold while Maharashtra completed an impressive 1-2 in the men’s category before unseasonal rains forced the organisers to cancel the evening session on the opening day of athletics competitions on day 6 of the in the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 on Monday.

Ngi held herself back till the last lap before sprinting in the final 200m to seal the gold medal with a time of 18:24.66s while Maharashtra’s Govind Padekar (15:11.35s) and Suraj Mashi (15:11.64s) paced themselves perfectly to clinch the gold and silver medals respectively in the men’s 5000m category.

“I am making a comeback after focusing on academies and I am extremely happy that I could win the gold medal here. Now that I have completed my graduation, I want to focus on getting in to the National Camp and then hopefully in the Indian team for major events,” Ngi told SAI Media after the race.

KITG 26 Medal Tally URL https://tribal.kheloindia.gov.in/medal-tally

Ngi’s gold medal-winning performance helped Arunachal Pradesh consolidate their third spot in the medals tally with six golds, one silver and two bronze.
Karnataka extended their lead at the top of the table with two gold medals from the wrestling mat in Ambikapur. Rohan Doddamani bagged Karnataka’s first gold medal outside the swimming pool when he defeated Rajasthan’s Dinesh Solanki by technical superiority in the 60kg Greco Roman final.

Manisha then wrapped up the day for the table toppers with a hard fought 12-8 win by points over Himachal Pradesh’s Muskam. Karnataka now has 17 gold, six silver and five bronze medals. Odisha continue to be in second place with nine gold, four silvers and 10 bronze medals.

Meanwhile, Mulayam Kharwar bagged Bihar’s first gold medal of the day with a dominant win over Rakesh Meena of Rajasthan in the men’s 65kg freestyle final with KV Kemppannavar of Karnataka taking home the bronze medal.

At the international hockey stadium in Raipur, favourites Odisha set up a final clash against Mizoram. In the semi-finals, Odisha hammered Madhya Pradesh 8-0 while Mizoram got the better of Jharkhand 3-2.

RESULTS
ATHLETICS
Women
5000m: Gold – Nedi Ngi (Arunachal Pradesh) 18:24.66s; Silver – Aarti Dawar (Madhya Pradesh) 18:29.28s; Bronze – Tsuchoi T (Nagaland) 18:35.60

Men
5000m: Gold — Govind Padekar (Maharashtra) 15:11.35s; Silver – Suraj Mashi (Maharashtra) 15:11.64s; Bronze – Ranglal Dodiyar (Madhya Pradesh) 15:22.48s

HOCKEY (Semifinals)
Women: Mizoram bt Jharkhand 3-2; Odisha bt Madhya Pradesh 8-0

WRESTLING
Women
53kg: Gold – Neha Oraon (Jharkhand); Silver – Pritima Khakhlary (Assam); Bronze – Mainari Khakhlary (Assam), Lalvenhimi (Mizoram)

76kg: Gold – Manisha Siddi (Karnataka); Silver – Muskan (Himachal Pradesh); Bronze – Lalhmangaihsangi (Mizoram)

Men
65kg FS: Gold – Mulayam Kharwar (Bihar); Silver – Rakesh Meena (Rajasthan); Bronze – KV Kemppannavar (Karnataka)

97kg FS: Gold — Hamam Hussain (J&K); Silver – Mohit Kumar (Himachal Pradesh); Bronze —
Mohd Wasim Choudhary (J&K)

60kg GR: Gold – Rohan Doddamani (Karnataka); Silver – Dinesh Solanki (Rajasthan); Bronze – Juh Pa U Juh Nongtdu (Meghalaya)

87kg GR: Gold – Piyush Gujjar (Himachal Pradesh); Silver – Riyaz Hussain (J&K); Bronze – Tek Chand (Himachal Pradesh)

KITG 26 Website URL https://tribal.kheloindia.gov.in/

ABOUT KHELO INDIA TRIBAL GAMES
The Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) is a dedicated national sporting platform established under the Government of India’s Khelo India initiative, with the specific mandate of identifying, nurturing, and celebrating athletic talent from tribal communities across the country. Rooted in the belief that India’s tribal regions are a vast, largely untapped reservoir of sporting excellence, the Games are designed to provide structured competitive exposure at the highest level while simultaneously honouring the indigenous sporting traditions that have thrived in these communities for centuries. 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 Ambikapur.