What India’s Medal Winners Said After Their Glasgow Triumphs

Mirabai Chanu became one of the few athletes in India to win three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals after clinching the title in the women’s 48kg weightlifting. The Olympic medalist said the victory was particularly emotional after overcoming injuries, stress and years of sacrifice.

“I am extremely happy and very emotional at the same time. I sacrificed a lot, overcame stress and injuries to reach the Games and win a medal. I did not know that I would break a Commonwealth record. I was just focused on completing the lift given by my coach,” Chanu said.

The 31-year-old broke Commonwealth records in the snatch and total lift to earn India its first gold medal at the Glasgow Games. He added another milestone to his career, which already includes an Olympic silver medal and a World Championship title.

Meanwhile, powerlifter Jhandu Kumar clinched a bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight event, ensuring India’s first-ever podium finish in powerlifting at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The 28-year-old, who was delighted to bring home India’s first medal of the Games, admitted that he was disappointed to miss out on the gold.

“Thank you so much for all the love. It’s a great feeling. I got the first medal for India and hoisted our national flag. It’s a great feeling. I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t bring home the gold medal for the country. There are a few areas that need work and I’ll focus on those. There was a little technical error and my coach was a little too far away, which caused the problem,” he said.

Jhandu finished third, recording a best lift of 190kg, after narrowly missing out on the 196kg attempt, which would have broken the Commonwealth Games record.

In the boxing ring, Jadumani Singh Mandengbam defeated Pakistani Sumama Rehman 5-0 by unanimous decision and advanced to the quarter-finals of the men’s 55 kg category. The 22-year-old dedicated his victory to India’s heroes of the Kargil War and the victory went to Kargil Vijay Diwas.

After the match, Jadumani said, “I dedicate my win to Kargil heroes. I felt great winning against Pakistan. I will perform better in the quarter-finals and get the Gold medal for India.”

The Manipuri boxer will now fight for a place in the semi-finals and a quarter-final victory will guarantee him at least a bronze medal.

India also made a strong start to its campaign in Glasgow by adding silver medals through weightlifters Chanambam Rishikanta Singh (men’s 60 kg) and Raja Muthupandi (men’s 65 kg).