'Our father always pushed her in sports': Tripura's Asmita Dey overcomes personal loss to script Commonwealth Games history

The modest home of Asmita Dey in Belonia, Tripura, has been filled with overwhelming pride and joy after she became the first Indian judoka to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.
 

Munna Dey, Asmita's mother, expressed her immense happiness over the phone.

"I am feeling very proud and happy. Everyone is happy with the achievement of my daughter," she said, her voice brimming with emotion.
 

After winning the gold medal, Asmita called her mother and asked if she was happy.

"I replied, 'Yes, I am very happy.' She then said that her father would have been so happy today. I told her, 'Your father is watching you,'" Munna recalled.

Asmita's mother said her daughter had remained dedicated to both judo and academics from a young age. She added that Asmita began her training under her first coach, Bina Debnath.
 

Asmita's elder brother, Debabrata Dey, also expressed his pride over his sister's historic achievement.

"Today, I am happy because everyone is proud. The entire state is celebrating, and people from our village are also happy," he said.

Debabrata said the family lives in rented accommodation and that he works in a private company to support the household.

Recalling the difficult period following their father's death, he said, "In December 2025, our father died, and Asmita was mentally shattered. But she worked hard, stayed focused, and won this medal."
 

He credited their father's constant encouragement for Asmita's success.

"Our father always pushed her to pursue sports," he said.

Debabrata said Asmita began her training at Belonia Vidyapith under coach Bina Debnath before moving to the Tripura Sports School in Agartala, where she honed her skills and progressed to the national level.
 

Asmita is currently serving as a sub-inspector with the Uttar Pradesh Police and is posted in Ghaziabad. She is presently in Scotland representing India at the Commonwealth Games.

Bina Debnath, the coach who first spotted Asmita's talent, fondly remembered her early years.

"It has been 17 years since I started coaching, and Asmita was among my first students," she said.
 

Debnath recalled that Asmita began training at the Belonia Vidyapith Coaching Centre before earning opportunities at the national level and later joining the Tripura Sports School in Agartala.
 

Asmita Dey's victory is a landmark achievement for Indian judo, ending a 36-year wait for a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the sport.
 

In the final of the women's 48 kg category, she staged a remarkable comeback against Canada's Heidi Quach, securing victory during the Golden Score period and scripting a historic chapter for Indian judo.