AGARTALA: Overcoming personal tragedy following the passing of her father, Tripura’s Asmita Dey secured a glorious gold medal in the women’s 48 kg judo event at the Commonwealth Games 2026, prompting celebratory remarks from the Chief Minister and Sports Minister.
The 23-year-old judoka from Belonia defeated Canada’s Heidi Quach 2-1 by Yuko via a thrilling Golden Score to earn India’s first-ever judo gold at the event. En route to the final, Dey showcased her dominance by defeating Scotland’s Eva Ewing by ippon in the quarter-finals and edging past another home favourite, Summer Shaw, in the semi-finals.
“This is my first Commonwealth Games, and I have won a gold medal in it, and I am very happy today, sir,” an emotional Asmita said following the bout. “This medal was very important for me, for my country, for my police, for my state, sir, and for everyone.”
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Dedicating her victory to her coach and seniors, Asmita opened up about her personal grief, stating, “My father left us in December 2025. He supported me a lot. After my father passed away, I felt like everything was finished. But two months later, there were trials for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, in which I came first at the nationals.”
Dey’s historic rise to the top of the podium had an improbable start. Born on March 22, 2003, into a humble family with three siblings, she is the daughter of Arjun Kumar Dey, who ran a bicycle repair shop.
According to a profile on Olympics.com, she began her sporting life on the running track competing in the 800m sprint before a coach recognized her potential and introduced her to judo. She was guided in her formative years by coach Bina Debnath at the Belonia Vidyapeeth Coaching Centre and later under Manik Lal Deb at the Tripura Sports School.
Her stellar performances on the domestic circuit earned her a place at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centre in Bhopal in 2018. Training under veteran coach Yashpal Solanki, she was folded into the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) development group.
Idolising compatriot Avtar Singh and Japanese great Uta Abe, Dey became the first judoka from Tripura to win an international medal at the Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Competition in 2022. She built on that reputation by winning gold at the 2023 Junior Asia Cup, silver at the Asian Open in Kuwait, and her maiden senior international gold at the 2025 Casablanca African Open in Morocco.
According to the latest standings, Dey’s monumental victory brings India’s overall medal tally at the Glasgow Games to 18, comprising four gold, nine silver, and five bronze medals.
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Joining Dey on the top of the podium with gold medals are weightlifter Mirabai Chanu and para-athletes Sharmila Dhankar and Dilip Gavit. Meanwhile, India has secured silver medals through the impressive performances of Rishikanta Singh, Muthupandi Raja, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare, Valluri Ajaya Babu, Harjinder Kaur, Gulveer Singh, Murali Sreeshankar, Mohammed Basil, and Lovepreet Singh. Furthermore, the nation’s bronze medalists include Jhandu Kumar, Bindyarani Devi, Shilpa K Shyla, and Seema Kaliramna.
Congratulating the athlete, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha stated, “Asmita Dey, a daughter of Tripura, has once again brought glory to the state on the international stage. Her dedication, hard work, and self-confidence will continue to inspire the younger generation of the country.”
Tripura Sports Minister Tinku Roy added, “The entire nation of India is proud of the historic success of Tripura’s daughter Asmita Dey. Asmita’s unique achievement will inspire, encourage, and motivate countless athletes of the coming generation to dream and achieve bigger goals.”
