Asmita Dey Historic Judo Gold For India In CWG 2026: Friday, July 31, was recorded in golden letters in the history of Indian Judo at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Asmita Dey, a resident of Belonia, a small town in South Tripura, won the gold medal by defeating Canada’s Heidi Kwak in the final of the women’s 48 kg Judo category by a golden score. With this, Asmita became the first woman player to win a gold medal for India in the Judo event in the history of the Commonwealth Games. But the journey from Belonia in Tripura to the podium in Glasgow has not been easy at all for Asmita Dey.
How did Asmita Dey come into Judo?
Interestingly, Asmita’s sporting career wasn’t initially focused on judo. She began her athletic career in the 800-meter race when she enrolled at the Tripura Sports School in 2015. However, she later switched to judo after being advised by a coach. Bina Debnath of the Belonia Vidyapeeth Coaching Center and Manik Lal Deb, also a coach at the Tripura Sports School, refined her initial technique.
Based on her impressive performances at the National School Games and Khelo India, she was selected for the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bhopal, where she currently practices. Here, she worked with renowned judo coach Yashpal Solanki at the SAI Regional Centre. She is also the first athlete from Tripura to be selected for the Indian judo team.
Even after financial hardship and the death of his father, his stubbornness did not break.
Asmita’s family background has been fraught with struggles. Her father ran a small bicycle repair shop in Belonia. In 2023, she didn’t even have the money to travel to the Tashkent Grand Slam, and despite pleading with the state government, she couldn’t participate due to a lack of funds. But despite financial challenges, Asmita Dey never gave up.
Before winning the Commonwealth Games gold medal, Asmita has brought glory to India in numerous places. She has won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championships, a silver medal at the 2023 Kuwait Asian Open, a gold medal at the Junior Asian Cup, and a gold medal at the 2025 Casablanca African Open.
Father’s shadow lifted in December 2025
Asmita’s father passed away in December 2025, leaving her devastated. However, two months later, she made a strong comeback by securing the first rank at the national level in the Asian Games trials. Asmita Dey also appeared emotional after winning a historic medal at the Commonwealth Games. She said, “I am extremely happy to win this medal. This medal was very important for me, my state of Tripura, and the entire country. I dedicate this achievement to my coach and my late father. When my father passed away in December 2025, I thought everything was over for me, because he was my biggest supporter. But I didn’t give up, and today I fulfilled his dream.”
VIDEO | Glasgow: The first person judoka Asmita Dey wanted to tell about her Commonwealth Games gold was the one person she no longer could do it. Her father, a cycle mechanic who earned barely Rs 300 a day and raised his family in a mud house in a small village in Tripura, died pic.twitter.com/9dT56LxX4L
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 31, 2026