Khelo India Tribal Games: 'Chance Selection' Anjali Munda Snares Historic Gold

Back in 2022, when a sports teacher asked students to opt for different sports during a routine class, the then 11-year-old Anjali Munda quietly raised her hand and chose swimming, the only sporting activity she was familiar with. Anjali who hails from Gahiragadiya village in Odisha’s Jajpur district, about 100 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, knew swimming as a fun activity that involves splashing of water but never had any structured training.

The youngest among the four siblings, whose father works as a van driver at a local factory, Anjali also moved to the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, where tribal students from across the state receive free education and boarding, at the age of 10 and initially drew inspiration from her elder sister, who is an archer.

However, when the opportunity came Anjali chose swimming as her own sporting path, trusting her natural comfort in the water. And though it took time for her to build the confidence to compete, Anjali has never looked back since bagging a silver medal at a local club tournament a year later.

“The silver medal was the first in my life, and is very special. It gave me the confidence that I could do well in the sport. I have to thank my coaches for believing in me, and the effort that they put during my training sessions,” said the 15-year-old Anjali, who became the first female gold medallist on the opening day of the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games in Raipur on Wednesday (March 26).

In fact, had it not been for Anjali’s effort of 2:39:02s to win the gold medal in the 200m freestyle, India’s swimming powerhouse Karnataka would have swept all the six gold medals on offer on the opening day.

Anjali says that her rising graph has been a result of the Union sports ministry’s initiatives, like the ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action) League.

“In 2024, I won two silver medals in the Khelo India ASMITA League, held in Sambalpur. I had finished within striking distances of the podium in the other two events. The medals boosted my confidence further, and I believed I could do well in the bigger tournaments,” she added.

Anjali continued to excel at the recent Khelo India ASMITA (U-15 & U-18) Swimming League (East Zone) held on March 21 and 22 in Guwahati, winning couple of silver medals.

Just days later, Anjali carried that form into the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 in Raipur and bagged her first gold medal on the national stage.

Despite the landmark victory, the Odisha teenager admitted she was not entirely satisfied with her performance as she had been aiming to better her personal best of 2:25s.

The youngster has now set her sights on improving her personal bests in the remaining events — the women’s 50m backstroke, women’s 100m backstroke and the 200m individual medley.