Commonwealth Games 2026 :Glasgow. India made a great start on the first day of the Commonwealth Games 2026 and opened its account in the medal tally. Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar, resident of Nalanda, Bihar, gave India its first medal by winning the bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight category. Apart from this, in boxing, Jadumani Singh entered the next round with a strong victory. Whereas in Para swimming, Ravi Veera Venkata Budigina missed the medal by a very narrow margin. On the other hand, India’s star athlete Neeraj Chopra has also reached Glasgow, from whom the country has high hopes of a gold medal.
Jhandu Kumar opened India’s account by winning the bronze medal.
India’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 came from Para Powerlifting. In the men’s heavyweight final, Jhandu Kumar lifted a best weight of 190 kg and scored 130.9 points and won the bronze medal. In this event, Nigeria’s Reluwan Idris won the gold medal, while England’s Matthew Harding won the silver medal. India’s current champion Sudhir finished sixth this time.
Jhandu Kumar is an inspiring story of reaching success through struggle.
Born in Harnaut in Nalanda district of Bihar, Jhandu Kumar has been affected by polio since childhood. His father used to run the family by selling vegetables. Despite financial challenges, Zandu made sports his dream. He started his career in para athletics in 2017 and won several state and district level medals in shot put and discus throw. Later, during strength training in the gym, his interest in powerlifting increased and he made this sport his future.
Didn’t give up after first failure, became national record holder again
Jhandu Kumar could not make a single successful lift in his first National Powerlifting Championship. But he did not give up. Paralympic bronze medalist Rajinder Singh Rahelu recognized his talent and gave him a chance to train at the National Center of Excellence of Sports Authority of India, Gandhinagar. After this he worked hard continuously and in 2025 created a national record by lifting 205 kg. Later in Khelo India Para Games it was increased to 206 kg. He also proved his ability by winning bronze medals in the Beijing World Cup 2025 and Asian-Oceania Championship 2026.
Jadumani Singh started his boxing campaign with a win
Indian boxer Jadumani Singh made a great start by defeating Scotland’s Aaron Cullen 5-0 in the men’s 55 kg category. The dominance of the Indian players was seen in the entire match. With this victory, he has made it to the round of 16. Now to reach the quarter-finals, he will face Pakistan’s Sumama Rehman, on whom everyone’s eyes will be.
Budigina came very close to medal in para swimming
Ravi Veera Venkata Budigina performed brilliantly in the men’s S13 100m freestyle event, but missed a medal by just one place. He finished fourth with a timing of 57.57 seconds. Ali Imam remained at seventh position. However, the performance of both the players is being considered a positive sign for Indian para swimming.
Srihari Nataraj missed a place in the final
India’s star swimmer Srihari Nataraj finished seventh in the semi-finals of 50m backstroke with a timing of 25.29 seconds. Overall they finished 11th and could not qualify for the final. Now he will be expected to perform better in other backstroke and relay events.
Putul Sonowal registers second consecutive win in Bowls
In the men’s singles bowls event, India’s Putul Sonowal continued his good form by defeating Falkland Islands’ Cecil Alexander 7-5, 8-6 and 1-0 in the tiebreak. With their second consecutive win, they have reached the top of their group. If they maintain the first position in the group then they will directly enter the semi-finals.
Kasturi Rajamani disappointed in women’s para powerlifting
In the women’s heavyweight category, India’s Kasturi Rajamani could not succeed in all three of her attempts. Due to this she was eliminated from the competition without scoring any points. However, the Indian team is hopeful of better performance in the upcoming competitions.
Waiting for Neeraj Chopra’s match
India’s two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra has also reached Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games. Athletics competitions will begin on Monday, while Neeraj will compete in the men’s javelin throw event on Thursday. He won the gold medal in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and this time also the biggest expectation is for gold from him. Winning a medal on the first day in a big tournament like the Commonwealth Games is considered very important for any team. Jhandu Kumar’s bronze medal has boosted the morale of the Indian team. Along with this, the performance of Indian players in boxing, bowls and other sports has strengthened the hopes of more medals in the coming days.
India got mixed success on the second day of Commonwealth Games, victory in lawn balls, wait for medal continues
Mixed results were seen for India on the second day of the Commonwealth Games 2026. On one hand, the Indian women’s lawn bowls team performed brilliantly and won the second round of women’s doubles, while the four Indian players in para powerlifting could not succeed in winning a medal. However, some matches of the second day were to be played late at night according to Indian time and the challenge for the Indian players is still going on.
India’s spectacular victory in women’s lawn balls
In the women’s doubles event, the Indian pair performed brilliantly in the second round and won. With this victory, the Indian team strengthened its hopes of reaching the next stage. Indian players have consistently performed well in lawn bowls in the last few years and there are hopes of a medal from them in Glasgow as well.
Four Indian players missed medals in Para Powerlifting
On the second day, in Para Powerlifting, four players from India presented the challenge in different categories, but no one could win a medal. The players competed hard, although they missed reaching the podium. On the first day, Jhandu Kumar opened India’s account by winning the bronze medal, but that success could not be carried forward on the second day.
India’s performance in the first two days
India had made a great start on the first day with Jhandu Kumar winning a bronze medal. Apart from this, Indian players also performed well in boxing, bowls and swimming. On the second day also, Indian players are presenting challenge in many events and there is hope of medal from the late night matches.
India will play six games on the third day
On the third day of the Commonwealth Games, Indian players will participate in six different sports. These will keep an eye on Indian players in boxing, swimming, artistic gymnastics, lawn bowls, para events and other competitions. There are many matches where India will present a strong claim for a medal.
India eyes progress in medal tally
The first two days of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games have brought both excitement and learning for the Indian contingent. While Jhandu Kumar gave a great start to the country by winning its first medal, now on the third day, Indian players will try to maintain this momentum and increase the number of medals. Indian sports lovers will now keep their eyes on boxing, lawn balls, swimming and the upcoming athletics competitions, where more medals are expected to be added to India’s account.
