Glasgow: Jhandu Kumar opened India’s medal account by winning the bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event, while Jadumani Singh kicked off India’s boxing campaign in dominant fashion. In lawn bowls, Putul Sonowal continued his impressive winning run in the men’s singles, while Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh maintained their unbeaten streak to move to the top of Group B in the women’s pairs. Meanwhile, Srihari Nataraj reached the men’s 50m backstroke semifinal but narrowly missed out on a place in the final. Overall, Day 2 of the Commonwealth Games 2026 produced mixed yet encouraging results for India across several promising events on Friday, July 24, in Glasgow.
Gymnastics:
The artistic gymnastics team of Tapan Mohanty, Swathish KP, Tapeshwarnath Das, and Yogeshwar Singh competed in the qualification round before returning for the men’s team final after securing qualification. India finished seventh in the men’s team event with a score of 208.550 points. Tapan Mohanty (17th with 71.700 points) and Yogeshwar Singh (18th with 71.400 points) qualified for the all-around final, but no Indian gymnast advanced to an apparatus final. In the men’s team event, Canada clinched the gold medal, England secured silver, while Australia completed the podium with the bronze medal.
Swimming and Para Swimming:
Srihari Nataraj narrowly missed out on a place in the final, bringing his campaign in the men’s 50m backstroke to an end at the semifinal stage. He finished seventh with a time of 25.29 seconds.
Ravi Veera Venkata Budigina fell just short of a podium finish in the men’s S13 100m freestyle final, placing fourth with an impressive time of 57.57 seconds. Meanwhile, Ali Imam finished seventh after clocking 1:03.73.
In the men’s S13 100m freestyle final, South Africa’s Nathan Hendricks clinched the gold medal with a winning time of 54.54 seconds. Scotland’s Stephen Clegg claimed the silver medal in 55.16 seconds, while England’s Matthew Redfern completed the podium by securing bronze with a time of 56.86 seconds.
Para Powerlifting:
Jhandu Kumar secured India’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 by winning the bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event. He scored 130.9 points after successfully lifting 190kg but was unable to complete his final attempt at 196kg. Riluwan Idris of Nigeria clinched the gold medal with 132.8 points, while England’s Matthew Harding secured the silver medal with 131 points. India’s Sudhir finished sixth in the men’s heavyweight category with 114.1 points.
Meanwhile, Ashok Kumar Malik narrowly missed out on another medal, finishing fourth with 143.8 points in the men’s lightweight para powerlifting event. England’s Mark Swan claimed the gold medal with 153.9 points, while Nigeria’s Roland Ezuruike (153.9) secured silver and Malaysia’s Bonnie Bunyau Gustin (153.5) took bronze. India’s Paramjeet Kumar finished seventh with 135.6 points.
In the women’s lightweight division, Jaspreet Kaur and Suman Devi finished sixth and seventh, respectively. Jaspreet registered a best lift of 100kg to score 96.4 points, while Suman also recorded a best lift of 100kg, earning 88.4 points. Meanwhile, Kasthuri Rajamani did not register a successful lift in the women’s heavyweight category. In the women’s heavyweight event, Nigeria’s Esther Nworgu claimed the gold medal with 119.0 points following a 123kg lift. Her compatriot Esther Oyema secured the silver medal with 115.5 points, while England’s Olivia Broome completed the podium by winning bronze with 106.6 points.
Lawn Bowls:
India enjoyed another successful day in lawn bowls as the women’s pairs team of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh registered their second consecutive victory by defeating South Africa 2-0 in their Section B match. The Indian duo climbed to the top of Group B, extending their unbeaten run with a second straight win in the tournament.
In the men’s singles, Putul Sonowal defeated Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands 2-1 (7-5, 6-8, 1-0 in the tie-break). Sonowal maintained his unbeaten run in Section D after a hard-fought contest, edging his opponent in a tense tie-break to register his second successive victory.
Boxing:
Jadumani Singh launched India’s boxing campaign in dominant fashion with a commanding 5-0 victory over Scotland’s Aaron Cullen in the men’s 55kg Round of 32. The Indian boxer progressed to the Round of 16, where he will face Pakistan’s Sumama Rehman for a place in the quarter-finals.
On Saturday, July 25, 2026, India’s campaign continues with group-stage and qualification events across multiple sports. The women’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team opens its Pool B campaign against Wales, while Putul Sonowal returns to action in the lawn bowls men’s singles. Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh will also continue their unbeaten campaign in the women’s pairs. In swimming, Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra will compete in the men’s 400m freestyle heats, while Pranati Nayak leads India’s challenge in the women’s artistic gymnastics qualification. Boxer Sachin Siwach begins his men’s 60kg campaign in the Round of 32, while Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain has already secured a place in the women’s 75kg boxing semi-finals.
