Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India concluded its para-sports campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a historic, best-ever tally of seven medals, comprising three Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze. The performance marks a dramatic leap from the 2022 Birmingham Games, where the Indian para contingent managed a lean return of just three medals.| CWG August 1 Updates |
The campaign reached its peak on Saturday at Scotstoun Stadium with a dominant one-two finish in the Men’s Shot Put F57 final. Indian Army veteran Soman Rana launched the metal ball to a distance of 13.40 metres to clinch the Gold medal, while compatriot Shubham Juyal earned Silver with a 13.28-metre effort. The double-podium finish anchored an athletics squad that accounted for six of India’s seven medals.
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India snapped a 20-year para athletics medal drought early in the competition, with its athletes riding the momentum to a flurry of medals.
Beyond the numbers, the campaign was defined by remarkable personal triumph over adversity. Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar opened India’s overall medal tally in Glasgow by securing Bronze in the Men’s Heavyweight event. Affected by polio in childhood, Kumar drove an e-rickshaw and sold vegetables in Bihar to fund his diet and training before earning international recognition.
Similarly, 40-year-old Sharmila Dhankar captured Gold in the Women’s Shot Put F57 event with a 9.81-metre throw. Dhankar, a survivor of domestic abuse who was left homeless with her two young daughters, began her athletic career at age 34 and led a double podium alongside Bronze medalist Shilpa K. Shyla.
Sprint prodigy Dilip Mahadu Gavit added to the golden run in the Men’s 100m T47 event, setting a new Commonwealth Games record of 10.71 seconds to take Gold, while teammate Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth took Silver to complete India’s third double-podium finish of the Games.
Indian Para Medalists at Glasgow 2026
- Soman Rana — Gold, Men’s Shot Put F57 (13.40m)
- Sharmila Dhankar — Gold, Women’s Shot Put F57 (9.81m)
- Dilip Mahadu Gavit — Gold, Men’s 100m T47 (10.71s, Games Record)
- Shubham Juyal — Silver, Men’s Shot Put F57 (13.28m)
- Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth — Silver, Men’s 100m T47
- Shilpa Shyla — Bronze, Women’s Shot Put F57
- Jhandu Kumar — Bronze, Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
