Glasgow, August 1: India produced one of its strongest performances at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday, highlighted by two landmark gold medals in judo, podium finishes in athletics, and an outstanding display in boxing that saw 10 Indian pugilists book places in the finals.
The biggest breakthrough came on the judo mat, where Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh scripted history by becoming the first Indian judokas to win Commonwealth Games gold medals. Asmita clinched the women’s 48kg title after edging past Canada’s Heidi Quach in a closely contested golden score bout. Soon after, Harsh secured the men’s 60kg crown with a victory over Australian Olympian Joshua Katz. Adding to India’s impressive campaign, Yamini Mourya claimed silver in the women’s 57kg category, making it the country’s most successful Commonwealth Games performance in judo with two gold medals and one silver.
India also celebrated another productive day in athletics. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra earned the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw after recording a season-best effort of 85.83 metres. Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage topped the event with a throw of 89.75 metres, while India’s Yashvir Singh secured bronze after achieving a personal-best distance of 85.41 metres.
Meanwhile, Tejaswin Shankar added another milestone to India’s athletics campaign by becoming the first Indian athlete to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the decathlon, finishing with the bronze medal.
India’s boxing contingent continued its impressive run, with 10 boxers progressing to the gold medal bouts. Those advancing to the finals include Sakshi Chaudhary, Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, Priya Ghanghas, Arundhati Choudhary, Lovlina Borgohain, Jadumani Singh, Sachin Siwach, Ankush Panghal, and Narender Berwal, keeping India’s hopes of a rich medal haul alive.
The success extended to lawn bowls, where Navneet Singh and Dinesh Kumar maintained their unbeaten streak by registering a fourth consecutive victory in the men’s pairs competition. In the women’s singles event, Nayanmoni Saikia also emerged victorious to strengthen India’s campaign.
Cycling, however, proved to be a challenging discipline for the Indian team. Dinesh Kumar and Harshveer Singh Sekhon were unable to qualify for the men’s 4,000-metre individual pursuit, while no Indian rider advanced beyond the men’s keirin competition.
Following another medal-filled day, India climbed to 10th place in the overall standings with 23 medals, comprising five gold, 12 silver, and six bronze. Australia remained firmly at the top of the medal table with 128 medals, including 55 gold.
India will now look to build on this momentum as the competition enters its decisive stages, with several athletes still in contention for medals across multiple disciplines.
