Glasgow: Indian para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar secured India’s first para powerlifting medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 by winning the bronze medal, drawing praise from coach Jitender Pal Singh, who described the achievement as a significant milestone for Indian para sports.
Speaking after the event, Singh called para powerlifting one of the toughest disciplines in para sports and said that a Commonwealth Games medal reflects an athlete’s ability to challenge the world’s best.
“There can’t be more happiness than this. Para powerlifting is among the toughest para sports, and winning a medal here means we can think of ourselves at the world level. A medal at the Commonwealth Games shows that an athlete is also capable of competing for Olympic medals,” Singh said.
The coach admitted that the Indian contingent felt immense pressure to maintain the country’s medal-winning tradition in para powerlifting at the Commonwealth Games.
“Winning a medal brings indescribable happiness. We were anxious because Indian para powerlifters have consistently won medals at the Commonwealth Games, and we wanted to continue that legacy,” he added.
Jhandu produced an impressive performance, successfully lifting 190kg to earn 130.9 points and secure the bronze medal. He opened with a successful lift of 181kg, before improving to 190kg, which briefly placed him at the top of the standings.
In his final attempt, the Indian lifter boldly attempted 196kg, a weight that would have broken the Commonwealth Games record set in Birmingham 2022. However, the lift was unsuccessful, leaving him with a bronze medal despite being in contention for gold.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Singh said, “At one point, we were contenders for the gold medal. Had the final lift been successful, we would have celebrated a gold today.”
Earlier in the competition, Ashok narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish after lifting a personal-best 200kg, while Paramjeet Kumar finished seventh in the men’s lightweight category. In the women’s events, Jaspreet Kaur and Suman Devi placed sixth and seventh respectively, while Kasthuri Rajamani was unable to register a valid lift.
Despite the near misses, Jhandu Kumar’s bronze ensured India opened its para powerlifting medal account at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, providing a major boost ahead of future international competitions.
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