Photo Courtesy: nenews
Agartala: Asmita Dey made history in Glasgow. The 23-year-old from Belonia, Tripura, captured India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games judo gold medal. She battled through the women's 48 kg division to secure the top spot on the podium.
The final bout against Canada’s Heidi Quach went to a Golden Score. Dey won 2-1 by Yuko. The path to the final was equally grueling. She beat Scotland’s Eva Ewing by ippon in the quarter-finals. She then edged past local favorite Summer Shaw in the semi-finals.
Dey’s victory carries deep personal weight. Her father, Arjun Kumar Dey, ran a bicycle repair shop and passed away in December 2025. She struggled with the loss but pressed on. “This is my first Commonwealth Games, and I have won a gold medal in it, and I am very happy today, sir,” Dey said. “This medal was very important for me, for my country, for my police, for my state, sir, and for everyone.”
Born on March 22, 2003, she originally trained as an 800m sprinter. A coach saw her potential and switched her to judo. She trained under Bina Debnath at the Belonia Vidyapeeth Coaching Centre and later with Manik Lal Deb at the Tripura Sports School. By 2018, she landed at the Sports Authority of India Regional Centre in Bhopal, training under Yashpal Solanki. She is part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme development group.
Dey idolizes Avtar Singh and Uta Abe. Her record includes a medal at the 2022 Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Competition, gold at the 2023 Junior Asia Cup, silver at the Asian Open in Kuwait, and gold at the 2025 Casablanca African Open. She also placed fifth at the 2026 Asian Senior Championships.
This win puts India’s total medal count at 18: four gold, nine silver, and five bronze. Other gold medalists include Mirabai Chanu, Sharmila Dhankar, and Dilip Gavit. Silver winners include Rishikanta Singh, Muthupandi Raja, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare, Valluri Ajaya Babu, Harjinder Kaur, Gulveer Singh, Murali Sreeshankar, Mohammed Basil, and Lovepreet Singh. Jhandu Kumar, Bindyarani Devi, Shilpa K Shyla, and Seema Kaliramna secured bronze.
Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha and Sports Minister Tinku Roy praised the performance. Saha noted that the win brings glory to the state and inspires the nation’s youth. Roy echoed the sentiment, calling the achievement a historic success for the country.
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