Historic Gold for India in Para-Athletics
Sharmila Dhankar has secured India’s first para-athletics gold at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. The 40-year-old athlete competed in the women’s Shot Put F57 event, achieving a season-best throw of 9.81 metres at Scotstoun Stadium. This victory marks the end of a 20-year wait for India in this category.
Sharmila Dhankar was joined on the podium by teammate Shilpa K Shyla, who earned the bronze medal in the same event. This achievement resulted in one of India’s rare double-podium finishes in the competition. Her journey to this gold medal is described as a testament to her resilience.
Born in Haryana’s Chitrauli village in 1986, Sharmila Dhankar contracted polio at the age of two, which affected her left leg. She later remarried Ajit Singh in 2018, who encouraged her to pursue para sports. She trained under Paralympian-coach Tek Chand, a bronze medallist from the 2018 Asian Para Games, and won gold in her debut at the 2021 Para National Championships.
Despite finishing fourth in both the 2022 Birmingham Para Commonwealth Games and the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, Sharmila Dhankar persevered through personal hardships, including financial difficulties and the loss of her father. Following her gold medal win in Glasgow, she received praise from President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Weightlifting and Boxing Updates
In weightlifting, India’s Nirupama Devi Seram finished the snatch round in fifth place in the Women’s 63kg final, with a best lift of 93kg. She then attempted to make a comeback in the clean and jerk round, initially registering 115kg as her opening attempt. However, she was unable to complete any successful clean and jerk lifts at 123kg, leading to a DNF (Did Not Finish) and ending her medal contention.
Canada’s Maude Charron led the Women’s 63kg final after the snatch round, setting a Commonwealth Games record with a lift of 102kg. She was followed by Femily-Crystie Notte of Nauru with 100kg, and Australia’s Kiana Rose Elliott in third with 99kg.
The focus for India now shifts to the boxing ring, where five boxers are scheduled to compete in the quarterfinals. A victory in these matches would guarantee each boxer at least a bronze medal. The boxing action is set to begin at 10:30 PM IST with Preeti Pawar facing Nicole Clyde of Northern Ireland in the Women’s 54kg quarterfinal. This will be followed by Priya Ghanghas against Niamh Mitchell of Scotland in the Women’s 60kg quarterfinal at 11:00 PM IST.
Swimming Performances and Upcoming Events
In swimming, Vishal TK advanced to the semifinals after securing second place in Heat 6 with a time of 46.49 seconds. However, Rajesh Ramesh, who placed third in Heat 3 with 47.43 seconds, did not qualify for the semifinals.
Both para swimmers, RVVBK Budigina and Ali Imam, qualified for the Men’s 50m Freestyle S13 final. RVVBK Budigina finished third in Heat 1 with 26.33 seconds, while Ali Imam clocked 28.41 seconds to finish fifth in Heat 2. Srihari Nataraj also secured a spot in the men’s 100m backstroke semifinals by finishing fifth in Heat 4 with a time of 55.58 seconds.
India’s Sajan Prakash did not qualify for the semifinals in the men’s 50m butterfly event. Competing in Heat 9, he finished last in his race with a time of 24.94 seconds, placing 28th overall among 70 swimmers. A time quicker than 24.25 seconds was required for qualification.
Later in the evening, Harjinder Kaur is scheduled to compete in the Women’s 69kg final at 11:00 PM IST, aiming to add to India’s medal tally in weightlifting. India has already accumulated six medals in weightlifting, comprising one gold, four silver, and one bronze.
The women’s 50m butterfly heats are scheduled to commence at 3:46 PM.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
