On Friday, Asmita Dey made history by becoming the first Indian judoka to clinch a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Competing in the women’s -48 kg category, she secured her victory by edging out Canada’s Heidi Quach with a score of 2-1. The exciting match reached a golden score after the initial scores were tied at 1-1, and Dey executed a remarkable move to claim the gold medal, with the outcome hinged on who would score the next point.
Event Context
Interestingly, Asmita’s journey in sports did not start with judo. She first trained as an 800-meter runner but was introduced to judo by her initial coach, marking a pivotal shift in her career. After joining the Tripura Sports School in 2015, Asmita quickly displayed her talents.
Asmita has proudly represented her country in multiple international competitions, earning medals at events such as the Asian Open, Junior Asia Cup Judo Championships, and Commonwealth Judo Championships. Notably, she claimed gold medals at the 2025 African Open held in Casablanca and at the 2023 Junior Asia Cup Judo Championships in Macau.
Player Focus
Her impressive performances at the National School Games and Khelo India competitions secured her a spot at the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Bhopal in 2018. Since that time, she has emerged as one of India’s top competitors in the women’s 48kg weight class.
Team Analysis
The match began with Asmita gripping Heidi’s left arm, but the Canadian fighter managed to break free. Following this, Heidi launched an aggressive attack, yet Asmita displayed remarkable defensive skills. Quach earned the first point with a Yuko; however, Asmita leveled the score at 1-1 after receiving a shido penalty and countering with her own Yuko.
The contest advanced to the golden score round, where Asmita secured victory by scoring another Yuko, finishing the match at 2-1 and clinching the gold medal.
