India Shines at Glasgow 2026: Historic Sprint Double in Para-Athletics
India's Remarkable Achievement in Para-Athletics
Glasgow [Scotland], July 30: Satyanarayana Shimoga, the head coach of the para-athletics team for Glasgow 2026, praised the Indian government's backing and the positive influence of social and print media for inspiring the nation’s para-athletes. This support played a crucial role as India celebrated a historic one-two finish in the men’s T47 100m event at the Commonwealth Games 2026.
On Day 7 of the Glasgow Games, India experienced a moment of triumph as Dilip Mahadu Gavit clinched the gold medal with a record time of 10.71 seconds, while Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth secured silver in 10.83 seconds, marking an unprecedented Indian one-two finish in this event.
Reflecting on this success, Satyanarayana remarked, “The motivation from the Government of India, along with support from social media and print media, has been invaluable for my athletes. Dilip transitioned from the 400 meters to the 100 meters under my guidance, as I recognized his potential in this shorter sprint. Basil, competing in his first major event, has a promising future ahead. We are eagerly anticipating August 1 at 11 o’clock, where we aim to achieve gold and silver in shot put.”
The coach's strategic decision to shift Gavit from the 400m to the 100m proved to be a masterstroke, as the Maharashtra sprinter delivered an impressive late surge to secure India’s third gold medal of the Games. Basil, in his debut international championship, successfully held off England’s Kevin Santos to claim the silver medal.
Rahul Swami, the general manager of Team India, expressed that the outcome was anticipated within the Indian camp, emphasizing that the contingent had high hopes for a strong medal tally in Glasgow.
“While it may come as a surprise to some, our team, including coaches, physiotherapists, and technical staff, had actually foreseen this success. We kept it under wraps to surprise the nation with a greater medal count than in previous Commonwealth Games. It was expected; Gavit and Basil train closely and share similar strengths. Their acceleration in the final 10 meters was remarkable, securing the gold and silver,” Swami stated.
The historic sprint double followed long jumper Murali Sreeshankar’s silver medal win in the men’s long jump, with a best effort of 8.09m, marking his second consecutive Commonwealth Games silver.
By the end of Day 7, India had amassed a total of 15 medals in Glasgow—three gold, nine silver, and three bronze—with the performances of Gavit and Basil standing out as highlights of the country’s campaign thus far.
India's medalists to date include Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women’s shot put F57), Dilip Mahadu Gavit (gold, men’s T47 100m), Mohammed Basil Morssinganakth (silver, men’s T47 100m), Murali Sreeshankar (silver, men’s long jump), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Sarvesh Kushare (silver, men’s high jump), Gulveer Singh (silver, men’s 10,000m), Harjinder Kaur (silver, weightlifting), Valluri Ajaya Babu (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting), Shilpa K. Shyla (bronze, women’s shot put F57), and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting).