Lakshadweep Fisherman Wins Historic Long Jump Gold At Khelo India Tribal Games

Last Updated:April 04, 2026, 09:28 IST

Fisherman athlete Abdul Fattah wins Lakshadweep its first Khelo India Tribal Games gold with a 7.03m long jump, highlighting talent despite poor sports facilities.

On most nights, Abdul Fattah is out at sea, helping his family earn a living as a fisherman. By the time dawn breaks, he heads straight to the training ground, chasing a different dream, one that brought Lakshadweep its first medal at the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026.

The 18-year-old long jumper from remote Amini Island, roughly 2.7km long and 1.2km wide with a total land area of 2.60 sq km, situated between Kavaratti and Kadmat islands, leapt to a gold medal with his career-best effort of 7.03 metres at the Krida Parisar grounds in Jagdalpur, marking a historic moment for the tiny Union Territory.

From Fishing To Gold

“He is the first guy from Lakshadweep to clear 7m and that is something special," said a beaming Ahmed Javed Hassan, a sports officer with the Union Territory, who also doubled up as Fattah’s translator.

Born into a family of fishermen, Fattah is the eldest among four siblings and shoulders significant responsibility at home. After completing Class 12, financial constraints forced him to pause his academic pursuits. Instead he chose to help his father in the family business and pursue sport as his passion.

“There is no option, you have to balance things. Ever since I was in school, I helped my father in his fishing. That is our only source of income. We are a family of six. In the morning, I go for my training, my family knows about it even though they understand very less about the sport," said Fattah.

Football First

Interestingly, athletics was not his first love. Fattah initially played football, like many youngsters on the island. However, his journey took a decisive turn a couple of years ago during a local inter-island competition. Coach Mohammed Kaseem noticed the youngster’s remarkable sprinting ability and suggested that he switch to athletics.

Since then, Fattah began training in long jump and 100-metre sprint. Around the same time, the Amini Athletics Association started taking shape, bringing some structure to sports development in the region.

Fattah and several other young athletes were gradually provided with coaching support, helping them train more systematically. In just two years, the association managed to nurture around 384 athletes. From that pool, 17 athletes were selected to represent Lakshadweep at the Games.

Leaping Into History

At Jagdalpur, Fattah’s gold-winning jump of 7.03 metres was particularly satisfying given the circumstances. During training, he claimed that his jumps typically range around 6.5 to 6.7 metres.

“Before coming to the Khelo India Tribal Games, I had set myself a target of reaching 7.15 metres. I’m happy to get past the seven-metre mark, and this gold will motivate me to get better," he said.

Lakshadweep is slowly beginning to find its place on India’s athletics map. One of the Union Territory’s most prominent athletes is Mubassina Mohammed, a 19-year-old long jumper and heptathlete who became Lakshadweep’s first international medallist after winning silver in the long jump at the 2022 Asian U18 Athletics Championships in Kuwait. She also claimed the junior national title in the women’s long jump with a personal best of 6.30 metres.

Like Mubassina, Fattah trains without the advantages of modern infrastructure. Lakshadweep, spread across just about 32 square kilometres with a population of less than 70,000, does not yet have a proper synthetic track or an athletics stadium. As a result, many athletes practise on mud tracks, while Fattah often uses a nearby football ground to train for his sprint events.

“With our success in events like the Khelo India Tribal Games and other national-level meets, we hope that things will change for us. Maybe we will get some jobs and training facilities," he added.

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