India produced its finest day yet at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, adding six medals — two gold, two silver and two bronze — to climb to 10th in the standings with an overall tally of 23 medals (5 gold, 12 silver and 6 bronze) at the end of Day 9 in Glasgow on Friday.
The day’s biggest highlights came from the judo arena, where Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh created history by becoming India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallists in the sport.
Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra added a silver in the men’s javelin throw, while debutant Yashvir Singh claimed bronze to complete an Indian double podium. National record holder Tejaswin Shankar also scripted history by becoming the country’s first Commonwealth Games medallist in the decathlon with a bronze.
Australia continued to dominate the medal table with 128 medals (55 gold, 30 silver, 43 bronze), while England remained second with 80.
India’s day
India’s breakthrough in judo proved the defining story of the day. Competing in the women’s -48kg category, Asmita Dey fought back from an early deficit to defeat Canada’s Heidi Quach in golden score after conceding an early yuko and penalty.
Moments later, Harsh Singh delivered a tactical masterclass to upset Australia’s Olympian Joshua Katz in the men’s -60kg final, scoring a decisive waza-ari with just 41 seconds remaining. Y
amini Mourya narrowly missed completing a golden treble, losing a closely fought women’s -57kg final to England’s Acelya Toprak in golden score to settle for silver. The haul of two gold and one silver marked India’s best-ever Commonwealth Games campaign in judo.
Athletics produced another memorable chapter as Neeraj Chopra and Yashvir Singh shared the men’s javelin throw podium. Battling difficult windy conditions, Neeraj produced a season-best throw of 85.83m to win silver behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (89.75m), while Yashvir launched a personal-best 85.41m with his final attempt to snatch bronze on his Commonwealth Games debut.
Tejaswin Shankar then overcame a chronic knee injury to claim bronze in the decathlon with 7,976 points, becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the gruelling 10-event discipline.
Forced to withdraw from the high jump earlier in the Games because of persistent patellar tendinitis, Tejaswin climbed into third after the javelin throw before holding his position with a strong finish in the concluding 1500m.
India’s boxers also enjoyed an outstanding day, with 10 pugilists advancing to their respective finals. Arundhati Choudhary produced the upset of the day by defeating defending champion Rosie Eccles of Wales 4-0 in the women’s 70kg semifinals.
World champion Jaismine Lamboria progressed via Referee Stops Contest in the women’s 57kg event, while Olympic bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain eased to a unanimous 5-0 win in the women’s 75kg semifinals. Preeti Pawar (54kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Ankush Panghal (80kg), Jadumani Singh (55kg) and heavyweight Narender (90+kg) also secured commanding victories to move within one win of gold.
India’s impressive run in lawn bowls continued as Navneet Singh and Dinesh Kumar extended their unbeaten streak in the men’s pairs competition with a dominant 6-3, 10-0 victory over the Falkland Islands for their fourth straight win. The duo remained second in Section B behind England on points difference ahead of their final league clash.
In the women’s singles, Nayanmoni Saikia defeated Zambia’s Mildred Mkandawire 2-0.
The only disappointment came at the Chris Hoy Velodrome, where Indian cyclists struggled to make an impact. Dinesh Kumar and Harshveer Singh Sekhon finished 17th and 19th respectively in the men’s 4000m individual pursuit qualifiers, while none of the Indian riders progressed in the men’s keirin. Harshveer later ended 21st in the men’s elimination race final.
(With PTI Inputs)
