Karnataka strengthened its position at the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 on the eighth day, with standout performances from race walker Dasharath Talwar and middle-distance runner Nagini, both winning gold medals in athletics. Meanwhile, host state Chhattisgarh added a silver and a bronze to its tally, keeping its campaign competitive.
At the Jagdalpur athletics complex, Talwar clocked 45:13.85 to secure gold in the men’s 10 km race walk, leading a Karnataka 1–2 finish as teammate Darshan Bagadi took silver and Gujarat’s Sagarbhai Katara claimed bronze. Shortly after, Nagini delivered another gold for Karnataka by winning the women’s 800 meters in 2:13.80, taking the state’s gold medal count to 21 and total medals to 36.
Chhattisgarh’s Gajendra Thakur impressed in the men’s 800 meters, finishing second with a time of 1:53.82, while Odisha’s Dawanidhi Munda secured gold. Thakur shared that he began athletics training only a year ago after coaches at the Sports Authority of India training center in Bilaspur encouraged him to switch from kabaddi to track events.
In team events, Chhattisgarh’s men’s hockey team defeated Madhya Pradesh 14–6 to clinch the bronze medal. With these additions, the host state now has two gold, eight silver, and five bronze medals and stands 10th in the overall medal table. The men’s football team also advanced to the final after a close 3–2 victory over Arunachal Pradesh in the semifinal at Vivekananda Kotta Stadium, while West Bengal beat Goa 5–2 to set up the title clash.
Odisha continued to challenge Karnataka by winning four gold medals in athletics, with strong performances from Dawanidhi Munda in men’s 800 meters, Roshan Khadia in men’s 400 meters hurdles, Deepa Kisan in women’s high jump, and Dhanmati Jess in women’s javelin throw. Jharkhand also delivered an impressive performance, securing two gold medals in women’s 400 meters hurdles and 10 km race walk, strengthening its third position in the medal standings with a total of 19 medals.
With only one day of athletics events remaining, the competition for top positions in the medal tally remains intense, while host Chhattisgarh looks to add more medals in the upcoming football final and other events.
