Sports
Archived — This article has been archived. The information may be outdated.
Bicycle mechanic's daughter wins judo gold in Glasgow
PM India··1 Aug
Asmita Dey, 23, from Belonia in South Tripura, won the women's 48kg judo gold at the Commonwealth Games 2026, months after her father, a bicycle repair shop owner, died of a brain stroke in January. She had left training in Bhopal to attend his funeral before qualifying for the Games at trials in New Delhi soon after.
Prism
What It Means For You
- Families supporting young athletes on modest incomes can see how Asmita Dey's household kept training possible despite a bicycle mechanic's limited earnings.
- Anyone following grassroots sport gains a reminder that Sports Authority of India regional centres in cities like Bhopal can produce international champions.
- Judo aspirants in India's northeast now have a concrete example from Tripura showing a pathway from state trials to a Commonwealth Games podium.
What's Happening
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Asmita Dey on X after her women's 48kg judo gold at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on July 31.
- Dey, 23, is from Belonia in South Tripura and works with the Uttar Pradesh Police alongside her judo career.
- She defeated Canada's Heidi Quach 2-1 in a golden score final, becoming the first Indian judoka to win Commonwealth Games gold.
A Gold Medal Her Father Did Not Live To See
- Dey's father, a bicycle repair shop owner in Belonia, died of a brain stroke in January 2026, days before she qualified for the Games at trials in New Delhi.
- She switched from athletics to judo at a young age and trained at the SAI Regional Centre in Bhopal before winning gold at the 2023 Junior Asia Cup.
- Her brother, a graduate, has been supporting the family through tutorial classes since their father's death earlier this year.
all-newsuplifting
