Feisty Asmita, daughter of a bicycle mechanic, makes history on judo mat

There is always a premium on achieving a ‘first’ – and that’s how feisty Asmita Dey will be remembered in the history of India’s Commonwealth Games journey. The 23-year-old from Tripura etched her name as the first-ever gold medallist judoka from India in the Games on a Friday while Harsh Singh earned a second yellow metal on the same day.   

 ‘’I am really happy to win this medal. This medal was very important for me, my state and my country. I dedicate it to my coach. My father who passed away in December 2025, had supported me a lot,’’ an emotional Asmita told the broadcasters.

 The story of Asmita, born into a humble family in the district town of Belonia in south Tripura, is yet another one of triumph of human will against all odds. Daughter of a bicycle mechanic, she took to sport naturally and initially competed in middle distance running (800 metres) before being introduced to judo by her first coach Bina Debnath and she joined the Tripura Sports School in 2015.

The North Eastern state, whose best known sporting export so far had been Olympic gymnast Deepa Karmakar, can now boast of a CWG gold medallist – a find of the Khelo India programme.  Her performances at the National School Games and Khelo India competitions earned her a place at the SAI Regional Centre, Bhopal (NCOE) in 2018, and since then she has been training at the NCOE in Bhopal.

Asmita had been no stranger to podium finishes for India at international events - Asian Open, Junior Asia Cup Judo Championships, Commonwealth Championship to establish herself as one of the country’s leading judokas in the 48kg category. However, her best was yet to be when on Friday, Asmita showed a lot of steel to beat Canada’s Heidi Quach 2-1 in a final which went down to the wire.

 Early on in the final, she found herself on the backfoot after conceding a yuko and then receiving a penalty, allowing Quach to take control of the bout. However, Asmita responded by attacking with greater intent and levelling the scores at 1-1 shortly after the midway stage of the four-minute contest. Maintaining her composure under pressure, Asmita launched a decisive attack in sudden-death overtime and earned another yuko to seal a memorable victory and hand India the gold medal.

 Harsh, meanwhile, fetched the top prize by beating Joshua Katz of Australia 10-0 in the men's -60 kg category. He had earlier represented the country across the IJF World Tour, gaining valuable experience against some of the world’s strongest competitors. Over the years, he has featured in prestigious events such as the Tokyo Grand Slam, Asian Judo Championships and multiple IJF Grand Prix tournaments.

Asmita’s journey in figures

5th Position: Sr Asian Judo Championship 2026

Gold: 2025 African Open, Casablanca.

Bronze: 2024 Commonwealth Championship

Gold: 2023 Junior Asia Cup Judo Championships, Macau.

Silver: 2023 Asian Open, Kuwait City.

Bronze: 2022 Asian Junior Judo Championships, Bangkok.