India Shines at Commonwealth Games 2026: Historic Wins and Medal Prospects
India's Stellar Performance on Day 6
On July 29, India marked another successful day at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow. Gulveer Singh made history by securing the nation's first medal in the men's 10,000m event, while Harjinder Kaur earned a silver in weightlifting. Additionally, three Indian boxers advanced to the semifinals, ensuring at least three more medals for the country.
Gulveer Singh stood out with an impressive performance, finishing second in the men's 10,000m with a time of 27:49.78. The Army athlete maintained his position with the leading group before unleashing a powerful sprint in the final lap, ultimately finishing behind Australia's Ky Robinson. This silver medal marked India's inaugural podium finish in this event at the Commonwealth Games.
Earlier in the day, Harjinder Kaur opened India's medal tally with a silver in the women's 69kg weightlifting category. The athlete from Punjab achieved a personal best total of 227kg, which included lifts of 101kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk, placing her second to Canada's Charlotte Simoneau.
Harjinder's performance was remarkable as she broke the Commonwealth Games snatch record twice, improving upon her previous bronze medal from the Birmingham 2022 Games.
India's boxing team continued to excel, with three boxers securing spots in the semifinals, thus guaranteeing at least bronze medals. Mandengbam Jadumani Singh triumphed in the men's 55kg category against Zambia's Mwengo Mwale, while Preeti Pawar advanced in the women's 54kg category after defeating Northern Ireland's Nicole Clyde by a unanimous decision.
Reigning Asian champion Priya Ghanghas also made a comeback in the women's 60kg quarterfinals, overcoming an initial round loss to secure her semifinal position and remain in the gold medal race.
However, it was a challenging day for some of India's other boxers. Parveen Hooda was eliminated after losing to England's Sacha Hickey in the women's 65kg quarterfinal, and Kapil Pokhariya's journey ended with a defeat against Scotland's Robert McNulty in the men's 90kg quarterfinal.
In athletics, Vishal TK qualified for the men's 400m semifinals, while Rajesh Ramesh did not advance. High jumper Pooja Singh faced difficulties in rainy conditions, finishing outside the medal positions after failing to clear 1.82m, despite holding a national record of 1.93m.
Weightlifter Nirupama Devi Seram experienced disappointment in the women's 63kg event, failing to complete a successful clean and jerk lift.
In swimming, Srihari Nataraj progressed to the men's 100m backstroke semifinal but narrowly missed the final. Sajan Prakash finished 28th in the men's 50m butterfly heats, failing to qualify for the semifinals.
In para swimming, Karthik Budigina and Ali Imam reached the men's 50m freestyle S13 final, finishing sixth and eighth, respectively.
India also found success in bowls, with the men's pairs team of Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Singh defeating Cook Islands in their sectional play. However, Nayanmoni Saikia lost in the women's singles to Wales' Amy Williams.
As Day 6 concluded, India held the ninth position in the medal standings with a total of 12 medals: two gold, seven silver, and three bronze. Australia led the table with 80 medals, including 35 gold, 18 silver, and 27 bronze.
The Indian medallists so far include Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women's shot put F57), 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).