India enjoyed one of their finest days of the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Friday, collecting six medals across judo and athletics while also producing a flawless performance inside the boxing ring, where all 10 Indian semi-finalists booked their places in Saturday’s gold medal bouts.By the end of Day 9, India had increased its overall medal tally to 23 medals- five gold, 12 silver and six bronze, remaining 10th in the standings, just one medal behind ninth-placed Wales.The medals came from two sports, but India’s success stretched far beyond the podium, with athletes progressing to finals, securing qualification places and keeping several medal hopes alive heading into the closing stages of the Games.
Judo delivers historic double gold
India’s day began on the judo mat with a historic breakthrough.Asmita Dey claimed gold in the women’s 48kg event after defeating Canada’s Heidi Quach 2-1 in a dramatic final. After recovering from an early setback, Asmita forced the contest into Golden Score before producing the decisive Yuko to become one of India’s Commonwealth champions.Soon afterwards, Harsh Singh created history by becoming the first Indian male judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal. He defeated Australia’s Joshua Katz 10-0 (Waza-Ari) in the men’s 60kg final after controlling the contest before producing the match-winning throw late in the bout.India completed a memorable day in judo when Yamini Mourya secured silver in the women’s 57kg category. She pushed England’s Acelya Toprak through a tightly contested final that extended into Golden Score before eventually settling for silver after receiving a third Shido penalty.Not every Indian judoka advanced. Shraddha Kopade bowed out after losing to Wales’ Lola Hodson in the women’s 52kg repechage, while Rohit Majgul exited the men’s 66kg competition following defeat to England’s Michael Fryer in the repechage.
Athletics adds three more medals
Indian athletics added another three medals before producing several encouraging performances elsewhere.Tejaswin Shankar became the first Indian athlete to win a Commonwealth Games decathlon medal, collecting bronze with 7,976 points. His effort placed him behind Grenada’s Lindon Victor (8,096) and Canada’s Damian Warner (8,036), adding another historic achievement to his Birmingham 2022 high jump bronze.The men’s javelin final then produced a double podium for India.Neeraj Chopra won silver with a season-best throw of 85.83m, finishing behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who claimed gold with 89.75m.Alongside him on the podium stood Yash Vir Singh, whose personal-best 85.41m secured bronze after a superb late improvement during the competition.Elsewhere on the track, India’s mixed 4x400m relay quartet of Vishal TK, Rajesh Ramesh, Rashdeep Kaur and Neeru Pathak safely negotiated the heats to qualify for the final.In the men’s 400m hurdles, Yashas Palaksha and Santhosh Kumar Thamilarasan finished seventh and eighth respectively, missing out on the medals.
Perfect day for Indian boxing
If judo produced history, boxing produced perfection.Every one of India’s 10 semi-finalists won their bouts to reach the finals, guaranteeing themselves at least silver medals while remaining in contention for gold.The finalists are:
- Narender Berwal defeated Nigel Paul of Trinidad and Tobago to reach the men’s 90kg+ final.
- Sachin Siwach beat Wales’ Owain Harris-Allan to qualify for the men’s 60kg final.
- Lovlina Borgohain overcame Tarona Khanum Badi Pasoni Taafaki of Tuvalu to reach the women’s 75kg final.
- Priya Ghanghas defeated England’s Lucy Kings-Wheatley to book her place in the women’s 60kg final.
- Sakshi Choudhary beat Canada’s Amber-Jane Wall to advance to the women’s 51kg final.
- Jadumani Singh defeated Namibia’s Philip Haoseb to qualify for the men’s 55kg final.
- Arundhati Choudhary overcame Wales’ Rosie Eccles to reach the women’s 70kg final.
- Jaismine Lamboria defeated Lesotho’s Rapelang Maselela to progress to the women’s 57kg final.
- Ankush Panghal beat Canada’s Joshua Ofori to secure a place in the men’s 80kg final.
- Preeti Pawar defeated Zambia’s Catherine Mwape to qualify for the women’s 54kg final.
The clean sweep means all 10 Indian finalists will now compete for Commonwealth Games gold on Saturday.
Bowls and cycling campaign continues
India also remained active in bowls.The men’s pairs combination of Dinesh Kumar(1) and Navneet Singh defeated the Falkland Islands in sectional play to continue their campaign, while Nayanmoni Saikia recorded a victory over Zambia’s Mildred Mkandawire in the women’s singles competition.Track cycling, however, proved more difficult.Dinesh Kumar(2) and Harshveer Singh were eliminated from the men’s 4,000m individual pursuit, while Ronaldo Singh, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, and Jemsh Singh all exited in their respective heats of the men’s keirin competition.
Another major step forward
Friday combined immediate success with encouraging progress for the days ahead.India produced its biggest medal haul of the Games so far, celebrated historic achievements in judo and athletics, registered a memorable double podium in the men’s javelin, and watched every one of its 10 boxers advance into gold medal bouts.With 23 medals already secured and a host of finals still to come, India’s strongest phase of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games campaign could still lie ahead.
