Asmita Dey, India’s first judoka to win CWG gold in women’s 48kg, overcame struggles to create history in Glasgow.
Seven months back, long before she would take a bite out of her CWG 2026 gold medal in Glasgow, Asmita Dey’s world came crashing down when her father passed away due to a brain stroke. Raised in a mud house in a village in Tripura (Assam), Asmita’s father repaired cycles for a living and barely made Rs 300 per day.
However, that didn’t stop him from supporting his daughter’s dream of becoming a judoka.
On Friday, Asmita etched her name into Indian sporting history by becoming the country’s first judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women’s 48kg category.
And the first person with whom she wanted to share the moment was her father. Sadly, it was no longer a possibility.
“When my father passed away, I thought everything had finished because he was the one who supported me,” Asmita said, struggling to hold back tears.
Asmita showed determination and composure to claim the CWG 2026 gold, with the triumph capping a remarkable rise for an athlete who came from a humble background and battled financial struggles to establish herself among India’s top 48kg judokas.
Born on March 22, 2003, Asmita initially competed in athletics, running the 800 metres before her first coach introduced her to judo.
Her talent soon became evident, and she joined the Tripura Sports School in 2015.
Strong performances at the National School Games and Khelo India competitions earned her a place at the SAI Regional Centre, Bhopal (NCOE) in 2018, where she has continued her training.
Over the years, Asmita has built an impressive résumé, winning gold at the 2025 African Open in Casablanca and the 2023 Junior Asia Cup Judo Championships in Macau. She has also secured silver at the 2023 Asian Open in Kuwait City, bronze at the 2024 Commonwealth Judo Championships and the 2022 Asian Junior Judo Championships in Bangkok.
She finished fifth at the Senior Asian Judo Championship in 2026.
However, behind the medals and achievements lies a story of sacrifice that began in a small village in Tripura.
Asmita’s father earned barely Rs 300 a day while supporting his family and living in a modest house. Despite the limited resources, he never allowed them to stop his daughter from pursuing judo.
For Asmita, the medal represented not just personal success but also the fulfilment of her father’s belief in her. “I am from a very small village in Tripura. People there don’t dream this big. But Papa always supported me,” she said.
Her father always stood by her.
When a knee injury threatened her progress, he took her to Delhi for treatment, arranged medicines and did everything possible to help her return to competition.
“He brought me to Delhi for treatment and bought medicines,” she recalled.
His sudden death in December left Asmita shattered. The person who had been her biggest source of encouragement was no longer there, and she felt her dream had lost its foundation. But her mother stepped forward, determined to keep her daughter’s journey alive.
Just 10 days after the funeral, her mother asked her to return to training.
“If I stop you today, your father will think I am shattering your dreams,” she told her.
Asmita returned to the NCOE Bhopal centre and resumed preparation for the Commonwealth Games. The road to the gold medal was filled with pressure and anxiety.
“I have worked so hard for this. Before this medal, I was unable to sleep in India. I used to stay awake thinking about the fights. Even if my body was tired, I was not able to sleep. I used to feel restless and then wake up for training at 5.30,” she said.
