In 36 years of judo at the Commonwealth Games — and just as many years of India competing in it — the country won its first gold only in 2026. That gold belongs to Asmita Dey, a Sub-Inspector with the Uttar Pradesh Police, whose job with the force has quietly supported her judo career and family alike.
Born in a humble household in Belonia, Tripura, to a father who ran a small bicycle repair shop, Asmita’s dream was always bigger than their means — but he never let that stop her. Barely seven months before Glasgow, in December 2025, he passed away — a loss so fresh, Asmita wasn’t sure she’d ever step on the mat again.
“The little girl in me is proud of what I’ve become. But I miss my guardian angel… my dad. He was the one person who never made our situation feel like a limit on my dreams. When my knee gave way, he sold off what little he had and took me to Delhi for treatment himself. I stood on that podium and all I could think was — I wish he was here to see this. That medal is his as much as mine.. or even more.”
For Asmita, judo wasn’t always the plan. “I just loved sports and started by taking up to athletics; from running to shotput, I played it all. But it was after a coach at my school spotted me that I got into judo and realised it was my true calling,” she shares., I stopped thinking of it as random, and started thinking of it as mine.”
That instinct came full circle in the Golden Score decider against Canada’s Heidi Quach. “I told myself — stop waiting for her to make a mistake, just go attack and get the point yourself.”
On the podium, Asmita cupped her gold medal into a heart. Recalling the emotional moment, she says, “That wasn’t planned. It was the gratitude I felt for my coach, Yashpal Solanki sir and for India, to make everyone back home feel like this medal was theirs too.”
