India's Judokas Script History at CWG 2026
Asmita Dey and claim India's first-ever Commonwealth judo golds, while Tejaswin Shankar wins a breakthrough decathlon bronze, lifting India to 23 medals at the Glasgow Games
Synopsis
India's Day 8 at Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 was truly historic as the judoka Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh brought the nation its first-ever judo gold medals. To this, Tejaswin Shankar won a much awaited 'breakthrough' bronze in the decathlon, and Neeraj Chopra won javelin silver, bringing India's medal count to 23.
AdvertisementA historic occasion for Indian Judo
On Day 8 of the 2026 Games in Glasgow, India's judo team marked a new page in the Commonwealth Games history by picking up two gold medals in the sport to become the first team to win two gold medals in the sport in the Commonwealth Games.
Asmita Dey opened the floodgate after defeating Canada's Heidi Quach by a narrow margin in the final against her in a 48kg event, the first time India has won a Commonwealth judo championship.
AdvertisementLater, Harsh Singh followed suit to win the men's 60kg final with a composed Waza-ari win, doubling India's golden celebrations, against Australia's Joshua Katz.
A silver medal was the latest addition to the Indian judo haul as Yamini Mourya secured her spot in the finals of the women's 57kg category with an ippon over South Africa's Donne Breytenbach in the semi-final of the 2013 Commonwealth Games.
Tejaswin's Breakthrough in a Gruelling Event
The Indian contingent in the sport also had one historic performance, with Tejaswin Shankar winning bronze in the men's decathlon with 7,976 points, the first Indian to claim any medal in the gruelling combined event of the Commonwealth Games.
The medal came after a tough 10 disciplines on a tough 2 day competition, during which Shankar seemed to stay cool, according to Business Standard's report.
AdvertisementThis is a step up from the first-ever Commonwealth high jump gold medal that she won in Birmingham in 2022.
Neeraj Chopra & Yash Vir Deliver a Javelin Double
The silver medal by Neeraj Chopra with his best throw of 85.83m and the bronze by Yash Vir Singh after throwing 85.41m in the men's javelin throw final went in the win column for India. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won gold and the Indian duo was the only team to secure a double podium finish, giving the proof of the depth of the Indian javelin programme in recent years.
The Bigger Picture: 23 and Counting
Six medals – 2 each Gold, Silver and Bronze – were won by India in all during Day 8, raising their total medal count at the Games to 23.
India's boxers also had a strong performance as all ten boxers in the semi-finals, including Lovlina Borgohain, Jaismine Lamboria and Priya Ghanghas, went through to Saturday's gold medal medal rounds, giving India a great chance to grab more medals in the sport ahead of the conclusion of the Games.
Why It Matters
Judo, a sport which has traditionally been under the radar in the Commonwealth Games story — which is usually dominated by shooting, wrestling and badminton — has finally made its breakthrough with a double gold for the sport, a moment that could have a bearing on future investment and grassroots focus on judo moving forward, especially in the context of the forthcoming multi-sports Commonwealth Games.
