Asmita Dey wins India's first CWG judo gold months after father's death
Glasgow, July 31: Asmita Dey, a 23-year-old judoka from Tripura, won India's first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo on Friday, giving her family a moment of pride just months after her father's sudden death. Competing in the women's 48kg category, she defeated Canada's Heidi Quach in the final with a golden score, capping a memorable day for the Indian contingent.
Asmita's victory was one of three medals for India in judo on the same day. Harsh Singh took the gold in the 60kg category with a 10-0 win over Australia's Joshua Katz, while Yamini Mourya secured a silver in the women's 57kg class. The results marked a significant achievement for the Indian judo team at the Glasgow Games.
Asmita's journey to the podium was built on years of struggle. Her father, who ran a cycle repair shop in Belonia, South Tripura, died of a stroke earlier this year. The family lives in a rented accommodation, and finances were often tight. Her mother, Munna Patari Dey, recalled the difficult times in an interview with The Indian Express.
“It was a very hard time for us. Her father ran a cycle repair shop at the village and our domestic expenses too could not be met. But he always dreamt of giving Asmita every opportunity and took her to a judo centre. He also took a loan of one lakh rupees to support Asmita. We wish he was alive to see his daughter win the Commonwealth Games gold today,” Munna said from Belonia.
Asmita's tryst with judo began in 2013 when her father enrolled her at the Belonia Vidyapeeth Coaching Center under coach Bina Debnath. Recognising the family's hardships, Debnath often supported the young athlete, even providing her shelter and covering travel expenses. “Even though they were a very poor family, I could sense a determination. There were days when she would not have the bus fare to go back to her village but I helped her with whatever I could. She was very quick in learning the basics and never complained,” Debnath said.
Two years later, Asmita was selected as a residential trainee at the Tripura Sports School in Agartala, where coaches Manik Lal Deb and Pranab Saha oversaw her development. Deb, now the secretary of the Tripura Judo Association, said the team had to work on her physical conditioning and technique. “When we selected her for the school, I could sense that this girl had a combat sense. Since she was very thin, we had to work on her strength and stamina a lot. Spending time at the hostel meant that she had proper meals and nutrition. We had to identify the technique that would suit her and worked on her upper body strength. Sometimes, we coaches also had to pool money for her. To see her win gold is our guru dakshina,” Deb said.
Asmita's progress continued steadily. After winning medals in junior state and school nationals, she joined the Sports Authority of India's Regional Centre in Bhopal under coach Yashpal Solanki. In 2023, she won the 48kg title at the junior Asia Cup in Macau and followed it with a silver at the Asian Open in Kuwait. She added a bronze at the 2024 Commonwealth Championships and a gold at the African Open in Casablanca.
On Friday, Asmita's path to the final included a quarterfinal victory over Scotland's Eva Ewing by Ippon and a semi-final win over Summer Shaw of Scotland by Yuko. In the final against Canada's Heidi Quach, Asmita prevailed through a golden score, sealing a historic win that will be remembered in Indian judo.
