23-year-old tribal athlete Sanjita Oraon wins gold in 10,000 metres race at khelo India
Telegraph | 4 April 2026
Sanjita Oraon, a 23-year-old tribal athlete from Naxalbari in Siliguri subdivision, won gold in the 10,000 metres race at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026 in Chhattisgarh.
“I won gold with a time of 40 minutes and 21.8 seconds in the 10,000 metres race. It was a wonderful experience to finish first in the inaugural national tribal games. This will motivate me to achieve more success,” Sanjita said over a call from Chhattisgarh on Friday.
The event, held at Raipur, Jagdalpur and Sarguja from March 25 to April 3, witnessed 3,000 tribal athletes from 30 states.
Sanjita, from Mourijote village, is a final-year student at Naxalbari College. Sujay Ghosh Roy, a physical education teacher at Hatighisa High School, recognised her potential when she was in class V.
Her father, Bijay Oraon, is a daily-wage labourer and her mother, Rita, is a homemaker. Her elder sister is employed in the private sector and her younger brother appeared for this year’s higher secondary examinations.
Sanjita practised twice daily on a makeshift ground at Hatighisa, around 25km from Siliguri. During the monsoon, she trained on the roads inside a nearby tea garden.
“Considering her humble family background and the lack of proper track and field infrastructure in the area, what she has achieved is remarkable,” said Ghosh Roy, who trains the athlete under the Siliguri Athletics Welfare Organisation’s Naxalbari unit.