After gymnast Dipa Karmakar, chess champion Arshiya Das and tennis player Somdev Devvarman, Tripura has another sporting icon to celebrate. Ashmita Dey, 23, from South Snaichari, a small village in Tripura’s South district, became India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games judo gold medallist on Friday.
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Her father, a bicycle mechanic, always supported her ambitions despite the family’s financial struggles.
Ashmita is the youngest of three siblings. Her elder sister is married, while her elder brother, Debabrata Dey, works for a private company in Santirbazar.
She completed her initial schooling in Sonaichari.
Recalling Ashmita’s early years in the sport, her first coach, Bina Debnath, said she began training at the Belonia Vidyapith Judo Centre before moving to the Tripura Sports School in Agartala, where she received advanced coaching while continuing her education from Class 7 onwards.
“She was barely seven or eight years old when she came to me. She did her first practice here (Belonia Vidyapith Judo Centre). I am very happy that our little Ashmita has made the entire country proud by winning gold at the Commonwealth Games. I wish her more success in life,” said Debnath, who has been coaching at the centre for the past 17 years.
Ashmita’s interest in judo began when she watched one of her cousins practise the sport at the age of seven or eight.
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“One of my cousins, who used to practise judo, took her to the training centre once. That was the first step in her journey. She was always excited about sports. After coming home from school, she would head straight to the playground and return only after dusk. Our father always encouraged her to focus on sports. Later, Bina madam recognised her talent and took her to the judo centre,” Debabrata said, adding that Ashmita would continue practising even after returning home from training.
“Our father used to tell her that he would even sell his property in the village to pay for her coaching. He always wanted to see her represent India one day,” recalled her brother, who now lives in a rented house in Belonia.
After completing her schooling at the Tripura Sports School, Ashmita moved to Bhopal for advanced training, where she also completed her graduation. During her time at the sports school, she competed in several district-, state- and national-level tournaments and also participated in Khelo India and the Asian Games. She has been serving with the Uttar Pradesh police for the past two years. She enjoys simple Bengali food such as dal, rice and occasionally chicken.
The family suffered a major setback after the death of Ashmita’s father, Arjun Kumar Dey, last year.
“She broke down after our father’s death. But her coaches and we stood by her. This gold medal is her gift to all of us. This is not the last medal—she wants to win many more for India,” her brother said.
Ashmita called her mother on Friday after winning the gold medal.
“She asked me, ‘Maa, are you happy?’ I said yes. Then she said, ‘If father were alive today, he would have been even happier.’ I told her that her father is watching everything,” her mother said.
