Sports

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Glasgow, July 25: India opened its medal account at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday as para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar secured a bronze medal in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event in Glasgow. His impressive performance marked India's first podium finish of the Games and provided an encouraging start to the country's campaign.

Competing in Group B, Jhandu Kumar began his campaign confidently by successfully lifting 181 kg in his opening attempt. He then improved his performance with a successful lift of 190 kg in his second attempt, putting himself in a strong position in the standings. The Indian lifter made an ambitious attempt to lift 196 kg on his final try, but was unable to complete the lift successfully.

With a body weight of 72.4 kg, Jhandu earned 130.9 points for his best successful lift, finishing at the top of Group B. In the para powerlifting competition, the final rankings were determined after combining the results of both Group A and Group B, with points calculated on the basis of each athlete's body weight and best successful lift rather than weight lifted alone.

The combined standings were announced, Jhandu Kumar secured the bronze medal, giving India its first medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. His performance was particularly noteworthy as he narrowly missed the silver medal by the smallest of margins.

Rilwan Idris of Nigeria claimed the gold medal with 132.8 points, while Matthew Harding of England secured the silver medal with 131.0 points. Jhandu finished with 130.9 points, missing out on the silver by just 0.1 point, highlighting the closely contested nature of the competition.

Indian competitor, Sudhir, who participated in Group A, successfully lifted 182 kg and 183 kg during his attempts. He then attempted 211 kg on his final lift but failed to complete it successfully. Sudhir finished with 114.1 points, placing outside the medal positions.

Jhandu Kumar's bronze medal has provided India with an early breakthrough at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and will serve as a significant confidence boost for the Indian contingent as athletes across multiple disciplines continue their campaigns over the coming days. His determined performance in a fiercely competitive field has ensured that India's medal tally is officially underway, raising hopes for many more podium finishes as the Games progress.