India's campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games finished with 39 medals across six sporting disciplines, placing fourth on the medal tally. This is a good return from a severely curtailed Games where most of India's medal-winning sports were missing.
The last 11 days in Glasgow saw Indian athletes run, punch, fight, and fly above the odds to make history. There were many important firsts, historic podium finishes and medals from unexpected corners that were inspirational, emotional and satisfying.
CWG 2026 MEDAL TALLY | INDIA AT COMMONWEALTH GAMES | INDIA'S MEDAL WINNERS
So, in no particular order, here are the moments that made us delighted, proud of... and at times question Indian sports.
Tejaswin Shankar, everything everywhere all at once
He competed in 10 athletics disciplines across decathlon, attempted 11, coached other Indians in 2 disciplines (that we saw) because the federation hadn't sent coaches for it and won one medal - the first ever for India in an event where the country has no legacy. And he did it all with an injury-hampered knee.
A few years ago, he needed court intervention to compete at the CWG. He quit his job at Deloitte and moved to the most gruelling athletics discipline of all - decathlon - from high jump. Now, he has set new national records and won a rare, international medal to burnish his already ridiculously high reputation. We are witnessing a special athlete in Tejaswin.
Asmita Dey's historic Judo gold
India's first ever gold medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games came from the most unexpected of corners: Asmita Dey, a five-foot judoka from the North-Eastern state of Tripura , whose family often lived below the poverty line, stood up tall and delivered one of the most impactful stories of the CWG when she came back from a point down to win a historic gold medal.
"I am from a very small village in Tripura. People there don't dream this big," the 23-year-old said after winning the gold. Now, they will.
Yash Vir Singh shines in javelin throw with personal best
Imagine a javelin throw event where the standout feature for India was the medal of someone not named Neeraj Chopra. The former Olympic and world champion won silver, but it was the bronze won by the 24-year-old Yash Vir Singh that was the impressed.
On his sixth and final attempt, he threw a personal best of 85.41m which propelled him from eight to third; in one throw he had showed his best, surpassed a loaded field of champions and climbed on the podium next to the man who started it all.
Gulveer Singh's glorious double medal Games
Gulveer Singh wrote his name in Indian athletics' Hall of Fame when he won his first medal - silver in the men's 10,000m - an event usually dominated by East Africans. He became one of only three Indian men to win a medal in a non-relay track event at a Commonwealth Games.
This was historic enough already, but three days later and he made it even better - winning the bronze in 5,000m in another sensational, strategic run.
Gulveer's glorious double podium will go down as one of the best stories of CWG26.
Sreeshankar and Praveen jump through redemption arc
Long jumper Sreeshankar Murali and triple jumper Praveen Chithravel both won silver medals at the CWG which fulfilled deeply satisfying redemption arcs.
Sreeshankar won a silver at the 2022 Birmingham CWG, was in the form of his life before a patellar tendon rupture put him out of the Olympics. He underwent a surgery, worked his way back and is now back on the same podium, with a big jump.
Praveen had missed out on bronze by only 3cm in the last edition, when two other Indians had finished on the podium (Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker). Four years later, he came back and climbed on to the podium with a leap of 16.58m - behind only Jamaica's Jordan Scott.
Woman boxers' punch up, and how
Five out of six women boxers who reached the final won gold; six out of seven won medals of some nature. Compare this to six gold medals won across the contingent in the last three editions of the Commonwealth Games - 2014*, 2018 and 2022 - and you see how remarkable this is. (*2014 had only three women's categories)
Sakshi Chaudhary (Women's 51kg), Preeti Pawar (Women's 54kg), Jaismine Lamboria, Priya Ghanghas (Women's 60kg), Arundhati Choudhary (Women's 70kg) all punched their way to the top of the podium to underscore just how good India's women's boxing program is right now. And a bunch of them like Nikhat Zareen, Nitu Ghanghas, Minakshi Hooda didn't even make it.
Granted that the level of competition at CWG is not the most intense in boxing, but the competition back home is and to come through those selection trials and then win gold is something worth celebrating.
Lovlina Borgohain wins a medal before competing
Also in boxing, Lovlina Borgohain had won a medal even before the Games had official begun. Yes, you read that right. She was directly placed in the semifinals because there were only five competitors in Women's 75kg. She had to play only two matches; she won on and lost the other to get silver.
This may just be the weirdest Indian CWG medal.
Double Indian podium in three para-athletics events
Sharmila Dhankar wins gold, Shilpa K. Shyla wins bronze in Women's Shot Put F57
Dilip Gavit wins gold, Mohammed Basil M wins silver in Men's 100m T47
Soman Rana wins gold, Shubham Juyal wins silver in Men's Shot Put F57 India had a terrific three double podiums in para-athletics, a commendable feat the Commonwealth Games.
Sharmila, a survivor of polio and domestic violence, won India's first-ever CWG gold in para-athletics. She and Shilpa then made it a double podium on India's very first go.
Dilip, who comes from a tribal village and had to be adopted by his coach in order to train, scripted a Games Record of 10.71s, just ahead of Basil who won silver on international debut.
Soman, an Army man who lost his leg in a landmine blast, and Shubham, who met with an accident days before his Army exam, both threw their season's best to win gold and silver.
Para sport is always about stories of resilience, India's para-athletes have turned that into stories of inspiration and champions.
Jhandu Kumar opens India's account in power move
Speaking of inspirational champions, India's first medal at Glasgow was won by Jhandu Kumar - a powerlifter who got on the podium despite being from the Group B (which usually features lower weights).
His bronze from Group B shouldn't come as a surprise though, as written on these pages before, because of the circumstances he has lifted himself up from with sheer force of his willpower and upper body. The polio survivor has sold vegetables, driven an e-rickshaw, sold that vehicle to train, all the while strengthening his body in the gym to compete professionally. It takes nerves of steel to do that, as his medal shows.
Emotional Mirabai only bright spot in weightlifting
One of India's most successful sports at CWG is weightlifting, but this time around it was the most disappointing. First, India's squad was reduced from 16 to 11 as doping punishment and they managed to win only one gold from 8 medals - Mirabai Chanu, of course.
It was her third Commonwealth gold but the emotional response from the ever-smiling Mirabai to the national anthem showed that being here still means a lot to the Manipur lifter.
There's a longer conversation to be had about the weight choices taken by the staff and the many silvers, but for now, let's celebrate the enduring legacy of the 31-year-old.
Lisha Das, minor para-cyclist, left without female chaperone
Apologies for ending on a sombre note but a CWG highlights list cannot be complete without this incident that highlighted how Indian sports administration is still very much not pro-athlete.
Lisha Das is a minor female para cyclist - the youngest in the Indian squad - and she didn't have a female chaperone assigned to her. No one at Cycling Federation of India, Paralympic Committee of India and the Olympic Association of India even realised that not only was this breaking a Sports Ministry rule about sportswomen but also creating a major issue of safety and performance. The teenager had to write tons of emails and approach the court before she got a female accredited, but the delay meant she could not be on the Field of Play, where Lisha needed help with putting on her racing suit and using the washroom.
As we celebrate the success of the Commonwealth Games campaign, it's also important to remember that so many of India's athletes still have to fight the system.
