“Everything had finished after my father died”: Behind Asmita Dey’s historic gold medal lies an emotional story of her father who earned ₹300 a month by fixing cycles

When 23-year-old judoka Asmita Dey stood on the podium in Glasgow with a Commonwealth Games gold medal around her neck, she wasn’t just celebrating India’s biggest moment in judo. She was silently remembering the one person who had dreamed of this day but never got to see it. Last year, she lost her father. “He was the one who supported me,” she said, her voice breaking after becoming the first Indian judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal.

“When my father passed away, I thought…”

Born on March 22, 2003, in Belonia, a small town in South Tripura, Asmita’s journey to the top of the podium began far away from world-class training centres. She grew up in a modest family where dreams often had to compete with everyday survival.Her father, Arjun Dey, repaired bicycles for a living. He earned little over ₹300 a day, enough to run the household. The family lived in a mud house but despite the limited means, he never let financial trouble be a reason for his daughter to give up the sport she loved. “I am from a very small village in Tripura. People there don’t dream this big. But Papa always supported me,” Asmita said after winning the gold. That support wasn’t limited to words. When a serious knee injury threatened to end her career, her father took her to Delhi for treatment, arranged medicines and did everything possible to get her back on the mat.“He brought me to Delhi for treatment and bought medicines,” she recalled. Then tragedy struck. Her father had a brain stroke and died just days before Asmita qualified for the Commonwealth Games at the selection trials in New Delhi in December 2025. The loss shattered her. She felt the dream of competing on the biggest stage was gone along with her father. “When my father passed away, I thought everything had finished because he was the one who supported me,” she recalled at the winning moment.

The mother who refused to let the dream die

But when one parent was gone, the other quietly carried the dream forward. Just ten days after the funeral, Asmita’s mother asked her to return to training. Her words became the turning point. “If I stop you today, your father will think I am shattering your dreams.”Asmita packed her bags and returned to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) training centre in Bhopal, determined to honour the promise she had made to herself and to her father.

She resisted to eat her favorite sweet

The months leading to the Commonwealth Games were anything but easy. Grief stayed with her. So did the pressure of the event. “I have worked so hard for this. Before this medal, I was unable to sleep in India. I used to stay awake thinking about the fights. Even if my body was tired, I was not able to sleep. I used to feel restless and then wake up for training at 5.30,” she said.The anxiety didn’t disappear even after she reached Glasgow. “When I reached here, I felt very anxious thinking about what would happen. I just kept telling myself I had to beat everyone and win.”Even the smallest temptations became reminders of her goal. Her favourite sweet, ‘laung latta’, bought by her brother, remained untouched in the refrigerator back home. “I would see it in the fridge and many times I almost ate it, but then I stopped myself,” she said with a smile.

Chose Judo over 800-meter race

One interesting fact is that Asmita was initially an 800-meter runner. It was during a district-level trial that her interest in Judo grew. After that, she made Judo her primary sport and is now a gold medalist judoka.

A daughter carrying her father’s dream to the podium

Asmita’s gold medal is not simply the story of sporting excellence. It is the story of a cycle mechanic who never allowed poverty to shrink his daughter’s dreams. It is the story of a mother who chose courage over grief and sent her daughter back to the training centre when staying home would have been easier. And it is the story of a young athlete who found the strength to keep going even after losing the person who believed in her the most. On Friday, Asmita made history by becoming the first Indian judoka to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the women’s 48kg final.

The biggest investment parents can make isn’t money, it’s belief

Asmita Dey’s journey offers a powerful reminder for parents. Her father could not afford expensive facilities or luxury training. He repaired bicycles, earned around ₹300 a day and lived in a mud house. But he gave his daughter something far more valuable: unwavering belief.He never told her that her dreams were too big for a girl from a small village. Rather, he ensured that financial woes were never an excuse to give up. Her mother’s contribution is nothing short of amazing. Still mourning the loss of her husband, she chose not to allow grief to end her daughter’s journey. Her words became the emotional nudge Asmita needed to return to training.The message for parents is simple yet profound. Children do not always remember the money spent on them. They remember the parent who stood beside them after failure, who believed in them before anyone else did and who reminded them to keep going when they wanted to give up. Sometimes, the greatest gift a parent can give a child is the confidence to dream beyond the limits of their circumstances. Asmita Dey’s historic gold medal is proof that while talent wins matches, it is often a family’s faith that creates champions.