Agartala, Aug. 1 -- 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.

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 Belo...