Purnima Hembram proved herself as one of the all-time great athletes of Odisha by winning the gold medal in womens pentathlon event of the 1st Indian Indoor Open Combined Events & Pole Vault Competition, which was held at the Indoor Athletics Centre, Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on 2 and 3 May 2026.
Now a mother of a two-year-old baby boy, 33-year-old Purnima beat much younger opponents to win the gold, garnering 3835 points. In the five-part event, she scored 991 points in 60m hurdles, 747 in high jump, 696 in shot put, 703 in long jump and 698 in 800m run. Purnima celebrated her success on the podium with son Tazak Tudu in her arms.
This was the second medal for Purnima as a mother, who returned to competitive athletics at the Indian Open Athletics Meet 2025 in Patna (Bihar), where she secured second position in womens long jump.