ASMITA DEY arrives at the Asian Games with the weight of a nation’s 32-year drought on her shoulders, yet she approaches the mats with the quiet resolve of someone who has already survived far greater challenges. Less than two months removed from becoming India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medalist in judo, the 24-year-old is no longer the anonymous athlete training in the shadows. She is a history-maker, a newly minted Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), and the spearhead of India’s push to break a three-decade-long podium famine at the Asian level.
The sudden glare of the spotlight is a welcome change for a woman who spent the majority of her career battling obscurity and extreme poverty. “No one knew me before,” Ashmita admitted in an interview with Timesofindia.com. “But now everyone knows me. When I went to get food, someone said, ‘This is the same girl, right? This is the same girl who created history for judo.’ I was very happy to hear all this.”
From Scarcity to Stardom
Ashmita’s journey to the international stage began in the small town of Belonia, Tripura. Her introduction to judo was almost serendipitous; during trials for a sports school, her aunt identified a raw talent for fitness and competition. Within a week of taking up the discipline, she had won her first jiu-jitsu event, followed by a state-level judo gold within a fortnight.
However, the early years were defined by immense sacrifice. Her brothers would ferry her to training on a bicycle, and her father—a bicycle mechanic—would brave rain and distance on a scooter to support her dreams. Behind the triumphs lay a harrowing reality: the family often had no food. “Sometimes we didn’t even have food,” Ashmita recalled. “We used to sleep after drinking water. Sometimes we only had rice, salt, and chillies. I remember all those days.”
Perhaps the most poignant symbol of her struggle remains her mother’s only piece of gold jewelry—an earring pawned to fund her early career. The interest on that loan has spiraled over the years, but Ashmita is firm in her resolve: “It will definitely come back. I have to get it.”
The Crucible of Tragedy
Ashmita’s ascent to the pinnacle of her sport was nearly derailed by heartbreak. In 2025, she suffered the loss of her father, a man who had stood as the bedrock of her ambitions even when the family cupboard was bare. The timing could not have been more cruel, occurring just a month before the Commonwealth Games trials.
Stricken by grief and wanting to walk away from the sport entirely, she was brought back from the brink by her long-time mentor and coach, Yashpal Solanki. An Arjuna Awardee and former Indian judoka, Solanki guided her through the darkest chapter of her life, using the philosophical teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to frame her loss.
“He told me that this is the truth. One day, a person has to go,” she said. “I thought that if I cry and get weak, who will take care of my family? I controlled my emotions a lot.” That discipline led her to the gold medal podium in Birmingham, a victory she dedicated to the man who rode through the rain to ensure she made it to practice. Standing on that podium, listening to the Indian national anthem, the financial struggles of her childhood felt finally, tangibly, surmountable.
Breaking the 32-Year Hex
As Ashmita turns her focus to the Asian Games, she faces a significantly stiffer level of competition. Judo, a sport historically dominated by East and Central Asian powerhouses, poses a formidable challenge. The field in the women’s 48kg category is stacked, featuring world-ranked threats like Mongolia’s Narantsetseg Ganbaatar and Kazakhstan’s Abiba Abuzhakynova.
The statistical reality is sobering: since judo’s debut at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, India has secured only five medals, all of them bronze. The last time an Indian judoka stood on the Asian Games podium was in 1994, when Poonam Chopra claimed bronze in Hiroshima. Since then, the sport has experienced a barren streak in this competition that spans 32 years.
Despite the daunting history and the presence of world-class opponents, Ashmita enters the tournament with a newfound sense of clarity. Her promotion to DSP with the Uttar Pradesh Police has provided the financial stability that eluded her for years, allowing her to train with a “free mind.”
“I was so worried that I did so much in between,” she reflected. “I have faced so much financially, but now I don’t have to think much about that. Now I can do better.”
Whether she can dismantle the 32-year hex remains to be seen, but for an athlete who once viewed a permanent home as an impossible dream, the pressure of the Asian Games is simply another bout to be won. Ashmita Dey is no longer fighting just for medals; she is fighting to cement a legacy that began with rice, salt, and a bicycle ride in the rain.
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