From Boxing Ring Sweeps to Historic Judo Golds: How a Trimmed 123-Athlete Contingent Defied the Odds, Captured 39 Medals, and Passed the Torch to Ahmedabad 2030!

By a Die-Hard Indian Sports Fan

When the curtain fell on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday night, the emotion vibrating through every Indian sports enthusiast wasn’t just pride—it was sheer awe.

Heading into Glasgow 2026, the narrative was dripping with skepticism. After a blockbuster 61-medal haul in Birmingham 2022, casual observers looked at the scaled-down event program and predicted a slump. Over 30 of India’s medals from 2022 came from sports dropped from the Glasgow roster. India sent a lean, mean squad of just 123 athletes across 13 disciplines. The math, on paper, looked brutal.

Yet, as the final medals were awarded on August 2, the scoreboard told a story of pure grit, heart, and relentless fire: 13 Gold, 17 Silver, and 9 Bronze medals—39 total medals and a rock-solid 4th place finish on the overall medal tally!

To top it all off, as the closing ceremony wrapped up, the world watched the ceremonial handover to Ahmedabad 2030. India isn’t just a participant in the Commonwealth legacy anymore; we are set to host its future.

Here is the ultimate, heart-stopping breakdown of how our champions fought, bled, and conquered in Glasgow.

1. THE BOXING RING WAS OUR KINGDOM: 7 GOLDS & 3 SILVERS!

If you want to know what total domination looks like, look no further than the Glasgow boxing arena. India’s pugilists put on an absolute masterclass, walking away with a staggering 10 medals—7 of them GOLD!

The women’s squad was virtually unstoppable:

• Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg – GOLD): After forging her skills by out-punching world champions back home, Sakshi came to Glasgow on a mission. She outclassed Northern Ireland’s Caitlin Fryers in a unanimous 5-0 decision to set the tone.
• Preeti Pawar (54kg – GOLD): A clinical, dominant 5-0 victory over Canada’s Scarlett Delgado proved Preeti is ready to rule the global stage.
• Jaismine Lamboria (57kg – GOLD): Facing defending champion Michaela Walsh, world champion Jaismine showed nerves of steel, dethroning the champ in a high-octane battle.
• Priya Ghanghas (60kg – GOLD): In a heart-in-the-mouth split decision (4-1) against Canada’s Marie-Bathoul Al-Ahmadieh, Priya dug deep to claim her first-ever CWG medal.
• Arundhati Choudhary (70kg – GOLD): Standing toe-to-toe with England’s Chantelle Reid, Arundhati put on a tactical clinic, winning by unanimous decision to make it five golds for the women’s contingent.
• Lovlina Borgohain (75kg – SILVER): The Olympic hero fought valiantly all the way to the final, taking home a well-earned silver against Australia’s Emma Sue Greentree.

On the men’s side, the firepower was just as electric:

• Sachin Siwach (60kg – GOLD): In one of the most nerve-wracking bouts of the Games, Sachin went toe-to-toe with Namibia’s Tryagain Morning Ndevelo, grinding out a 3-2 split decision to secure gold.
• Ankush Panghal (80kg – GOLD): Ankush delivered a puncher’s masterpiece against England’s Dimeji Shittu, winning 4-1 to add another gold to India’s unbelievable tally.
• Jadumani Singh (55kg – SILVER) & Narender Berwal (90+kg – SILVER): Both fighters showed tremendous heart, pushing their opponents to the limit and securing two massive silvers.

Ten boxers, ten podium finishes. The Indian ring generalship was nothing short of legendary.

2. WEIGHTLIFTING: QUEEN MIRABAI’S THREE-PEAT & A SILVER TSUNAMI

When Mirabai Chanu steps onto the platform, time stands still. In the Women’s 48kg category, the iron queen of Manipur proved once again why she is an absolute icon of Indian sport.

• Mirabai Chanu (Women’s 48kg – GOLD): Winning her third consecutive Commonwealth Games Gold, Mirabai wasn’t just competing against the field; she was in a league of her own. The competition didn’t even come close.

But Mirabai didn’t shine alone. The Indian weightlifting contingent brought home an astonishing 7 medals (1 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze), displaying incredible technique and resolve:

• Rishikanta Singh (Men’s 60kg – SILVER): In a sensational debut, Rishikanta broke the Games record in the snatch before taking silver with a 264kg total.
• Raja Muthupandi (Men’s 65kg – SILVER): A debut to remember! Raja put up a heroic total lift of 286kg to seal the silver.
• Gyaneshwari Yadav (Women’s 53kg – SILVER): Smashed her personal best in both Clean & Jerk and total (199kg) to grab silver on debut.
• Harjinder Kaur (Women’s 69kg – SILVER): Pure perfection! Harjinder went 6-for-6 in her attempts, lifting 227kg total for a magnificent silver.
• V Ajaya Babu (Men’s 79kg – SILVER): In arguably the thriller of the weightlifting program, Ajaya led after the snatch (149kg) and battled down to the final kilo, securing silver with a 333kg total.
• Lovepreet Singh (Men’s 110+kg – SILVER): Led through five attempts before finishing with a brilliant silver, upgrading his Birmingham 2022 bronze!
• Bindyarani Devi (Women’s 58kg – BRONZE): Showed champion persistence to secure back-to-back CWG medals with a 199kg total lift.

3. TRACK & FIELD + PARA ATHLETICS: DOUBLE PODIUMS AND HISTORIC MILESTONES

If athletics is the crown jewel of any multi-sport event, India’s track and field stars wore that crown with swagger!

Double Podiums & Historic Firsts in Athletics

• Neeraj Chopra (SILVER) & Yash Vir Singh (BRONZE) in Men’s Javelin: Coming off an injury layoff, superstar Neeraj Chopra showed true grit with a season-best 85.83m throw to capture silver. But the absolute shocker was Yash Vir Singh! On his sixth and final attempt, Yash launched a personal best of 85.41m to steal the bronze, creating an unforgettable double Indian podium!
• Praveen Chithravel (SILVER) & Selva Prabhu (BRONZE) in Triple Jump: After missing bronze by 3cm in 2022, Praveen got his redemption with a 16.58m jump for silver. Selva Prabhu backed him up with a 16.52m leap to complete India’s second double-podium in field events!
• Gulveer Singh’s Distance Double (10,000m SILVER & 5,000m BRONZE): Gulveer ran two of the smartest tactical races in recent Indian distance history. His explosive final lap kick earned him a 10,000m silver (27:49.78) and a 5,000m bronze, making him a double medalist in Glasgow!
• Tejaswin Shankar (Men’s Decathlon – BRONZE): A monumental achievement! Tejaswin became India’s first-ever CWG medalist in the decathlon, amassing 7,976 points across 10 grueling events over two days.
• Sarvesh Anil Kushare (Men’s High Jump – SILVER): Cleared 2.25m flawlessly to capture a magnificent silver medal.
• Sreeshankar Murali (Men’s Long Jump – SILVER): Jumped 8.09m to secure silver in a world-class long jump battle.
• Seema Kaliramna (Women’s Discus Throw – BRONZE): The scholar-athlete used her research-backed prep to throw 58.65m and land on the podium.

Gold Rush in Para Athletics!

Our Para athletes delivered moments that brought tears to the eyes of fans worldwide:

• Dilip Mahadu Gavit (Gold) & Mohammed Basil M (Silver) in Men’s 100m T47: A historic 1-2 finish on the track! 400m specialist Dilip shattered the Games Record with a blisteringly fast 10.71s for gold, while Basil clocked 10.83s for silver!
• Sharmila Dhankar (Gold) & Shilpa K. Shyla (Bronze) in Women’s Shot Put F57: Overcoming immense personal adversity, Sharmila threw a season-best 9.81m to win India’s second gold of the Games, while Shilpa secured bronze after a post-event review!
• Soman Rana (Gold) & Shubham Juyal (Silver) in Men’s Shot Put F57: Another incredible 1-2 sweep! Soman unleashed a season-best 13.40m throw for gold, while Shubham recorded 13.28m for silver!

4. JUDO HISTORY & PARA POWERLIFTING GRIT

The Golden Breakthrough on the Mat

Prior to Glasgow 2026, India had never won a Judo Gold medal in Commonwealth Games history. That changed in spectacular fashion!

• Asmita Dey (Women’s 48kg – GOLD): Scripted history by winning India’s first-ever Judo gold with a golden point victory over Canada’s Heidi Quach!
• Harsh Singh (Men’s 60kg – GOLD): Made it back-to-back golds with a ferocious 10-0 Ippon victory against Australia’s Joshua Katz!
• Yamini Mourya (Women’s 57kg – SILVER): Fought through a 7-minute marathon final to earn a hard-fought silver.
• Unnati Sharma (Women’s 63kg – BRONZE): Demolished her opponent in just 67 seconds with a textbook Ippon!

Rising Out of the Shadows

• Jhandu Kumar (Para Powerlifting Men’s Heavyweight – BRONZE): Overcoming poverty and hardship, Jhandu lifted his way into history by winning India’s very first medal of Glasgow 2026!

5. THE FINAL MEDAL TALLY: PUNCHING FAR ABOVE OUR WEIGHT

DESTINATION: AHMEDABAD 2030!

As the official handover to Ahmedabad 2030 took place during Sunday’s closing ceremony, the message to the world was loud and clear: India is no longer just chasing medals—we are redefining our sporting destiny.

Glasgow 2026 proved that when you strip away the safety net of high-medal disciplines, Indian athletes don’t retreat—they step up. We saw boxers sweep through weight divisions, judokas rewrite history books, distance runners out-kick the best in the world, and para-athletes shatter records.

To every athlete who stepped onto the mats, tracks, rings, and platforms in Glasgow: Thank you for the goosebumps, the tears, and the glory.

Next stop: Ahmedabad 2030. The world is coming to our backyard, and Indian sports has never looked brighter! 🇮🇳🔥