Ranjita Kureti Wins Chhattisgarh’s First Gold at Khelo India Youth Games 2025, Then Takes Asian Title

When Ranjita Kureti stepped onto the mat at the Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna on January 22, 2025, no one in Chhattisgarh expected history to be made in the 52 kg judo final. But at 17, with calloused hands and a quiet determination forged in the forests of Bastar, she threw her opponent from Gujarat to the mat — and lifted an entire state’s sporting dreams with her.

The Gold That Broke a Seven-Year Silence

For seven years, Chhattisgarh had gone goldless at the Khelo India Youth Games. The last time the state won a gold? 2018, when wrestler Suresh Kumar claimed victory in the men’s 87 kg category. That drought ended when Kureti, a girl from Kondagaon district, pinned down her rival with a flawless seoi-nage. The crowd fell silent for a heartbeat — then erupted. It wasn’t just a win. It was a reckoning.

That day, between 2:30 and 4:00 PM IST, the scoreboard didn’t just show a winner. It showed possibility. Chhattisgarh’s contingent of 217 athletes — 123 boys, 94 girls — had come from 27 districts, many from remote tribal areas where sports infrastructure barely existed. Kureti’s victory wasn’t just personal. It was a signal: talent doesn’t need big cities to bloom.

From Bastar to Taipei: A Double Triumph

Less than two months later, Kureti was halfway across the world. At the Taipei Cadet Asian Cup Judo Championship 2025, held at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City from March 10–15, she faced off against the best under-18 judokas in Asia. On March 12, with a crisp osoto-gari and a decisive ippon, she won gold — India’s first in the cadet women’s 52 kg category since 2023.

It was more than a medal. It was a statement. In a region where judo is rarely talked about outside local academies, Kureti had outperformed athletes from Japan, South Korea, and Kazakhstan. Her coach, Shri Ram Kumar Netam, who trains her at the District Sports Complex in Kondagaon, says she’s the most disciplined he’s ever seen. "She doesn’t train to win. She trains to prove that Bastar can compete with anyone," he told local media.

The Ripple Effect: Funding, Enrollment, and Hope

The impact of Kureti’s wins didn’t stop at the podium. On April 3, 2025, Chhattisgarh’s Sports Minister Ajay Chandrakar announced a ₹5.2 crore investment to upgrade the Kondagaon sports complex — new mats, a climate-controlled dojo, and a dedicated recovery center. The state government didn’t just fund infrastructure. They funded belief.

At the Government Sports Hostel in Kondagaon, enrollment in judo surged 47% in 2025. From 68 trainees last year, it jumped to 100 — almost all girls. One 13-year-old trainee, Priya Singh, said: "I used to think judo was for boys from big cities. Now I see Ranjita’s photo on the wall, and I know I can be her."

Meanwhile, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) selected Kureti for advanced training under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). She’ll begin a six-month intensive program in June 2025 at the Rhein-Neckar Judo Academy in Mannheim, Germany — funded with ₹18.75 lakh. Her goal? The 2026 Commonwealth Games and, ultimately, the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Chhattisgarh’s Breakthrough at Khelo India 2025

Kureti wasn’t alone in making history. Her gold was one of three for Chhattisgarh at the 7th Khelo India Youth Games. Arjun Kumar Chandra and Anant Swarnakar won gold in Kalaripayattu, while 16-year-old Tanu Chandra took badminton gold. Rakesh Kumar Varda added silver in Mallakhamb. Ten bronze medals followed, from archery to athletics.

The state finished 19th overall — up from 22nd in 2024. For a state with limited sports funding and fewer elite academies, this was a quiet revolution. The 18 athletes from Bastar alone accounted for five medals — a disproportionate impact from a region often overlooked.

What’s Next for Ranjita Kureti?

By December 2025, Kureti will be back in Germany, training alongside European champions. Her next international test? The 2026 Asian Cadet Judo Championships in Malaysia. But her real legacy may be measured not in medals, but in momentum.

Her story has become a textbook case in how grassroots investment pays off. The Chhattisgarh government has now tied sports funding to district-level performance metrics. And for the first time, tribal districts like Kondagaon, Narayanpur, and Jashpur are receiving equal allocations.

"She didn’t just win a gold," said Dr. Meena Verma, a sports sociologist at Patna University. "She rewrote the narrative. Now, when a child in Bastar says they want to be an athlete, people don’t laugh. They ask: Which sport?"