Khelo India Tribal Games: Odisha Swimmer Anjali Munda Wins Gold In 200m Freestyle

Raipur: A 15-year-old swimmer from Odisha scripted history by becoming the first female gold medallist at the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 held in Chhattisgarh's Raipur. Anjali Munda, hailing from Gahiragadia village in Jajpur district, won the gold medal in the 200m freestyle event, clocking 2:39:02 seconds.

Her journey began in 2022 during a classroom session when she chose swimming as a sport at the age of 11, a decision that later became a turning point in her life.

Coming from a modest background, her father works as a van driver in a factory. She enrolled at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences at the age of 10, where she received free education and training, laying the foundation for her sporting career.

Within a year of taking up swimming, she won a silver medal in a local club competition, which boosted her confidence to pursue the sport further. At the Raipur event, her gold medal performance also prevented the strong Karnataka team from sweeping all gold medals on the opening day.

She credited the Sports Ministry’s Asmita League for her progress, stating that she had earlier won two silver medals in the 2024 edition held in Sambalpur and also performed well in the East Zone competition in Guwahati.

Despite fatigue due to continuous travel before the event and limited food intake before the race, she went on to secure the gold medal. She said her next goal is to improve her personal best timing of 2:25 and perform better in upcoming events, including 50m backstroke, 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley.

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