Glasgow: Jhandu Kumar secures India’s first medal in para powerlifting

By Karan Malhotra — 24 July 2026 — 3 min read

India’s First Medalist

Jhandu Kumar secured India‘s first medal at the Commonwealth Games, earning a bronze in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event. The 28-year-old athlete, who has overcome polio and financial challenges, achieved 130.9 points. His successful lifts included 181kg and 190kg, though he was unable to complete his final attempt of 196kg. This performance placed him third, behind Idris Riluwan of Nigeria, who won gold with 132.8 points, and Matthew Harding, who took silver with 131 points.

Kumar‘s journey to the international stage follows a transition to para powerlifting in 2022. He previously competed in para athletics, earning district and state-level medals in shot put and discus throw, and also participated in able-bodied powerlifting. In 2025, he set a national record in the men’s 72kg category, lifting 205kg at the National Championships and 206kg at the Khelo India Para Games. He also earned bronze medals at the World Para Powerlifting World Cup and the Asia-Oceania Open Championships, and finished among the top six at the World Para Powerlifting Championships.

Another Indian participant in the heavyweight event, Sudhir, finished in sixth place with 114.1 points. He lifted 182kg and 183kg in his first two attempts, but was unsuccessful in his third attempt of 211kg.

Mixed Results Across Events

Day 2 of the Commonwealth Games saw several other Indian athletes in action, with some narrowly missing out on podium finishes. In the men’s lightweight para powerlifting event, Ashok Malik finished fourth with 143.8 points, just outside the medal positions. Mark Swan of England secured gold with 153.9 points, while Roland Ezuruike of Nigeria (153.9) claimed silver, and Bonnie Bunyau Gustin of Malaysia (153.5) took bronze. Paramjeet Kumar, another Indian competitor, finished seventh with 135.6 points.

In para swimming, Karthik Budigina also finished fourth in the men’s 100m Freestyle S13 final, clocking 57.57 seconds. His teammate, Imam Ali, finished seventh with a time of 1:03.73. The gold medal in this event went to Nathan Hendricks of South Africa in 54.54 seconds. Earlier, both Budigina and Ali had advanced to the final after qualifying from the heats, with Budigina finishing third in his heat with 57.10 seconds and Ali qualifying with 1:05.32 seconds.

Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj‘s campaign in the men’s 50m backstroke concluded in the semifinals, where he finished seventh in his race with a time of 25.29 seconds, not qualifying for the final. Pieter Coetze of South Africa qualified fastest in 24.29 seconds.

Advancements in Boxing and Lawn Bowls

In boxing, Jadumani Singh made a strong start in the men’s 55kg competition. He defeated Aaron Cullen of Scotland by unanimous decision in the Round of 32, advancing to the pre-quarterfinals. He is set to face Sumama Rehman of Pakistan in the next round.

India also had a successful day in lawn bowls. The women’s pairs team, consisting of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh, secured their second consecutive victory. They defeated South Africa 2-0 (6-4, 7-5) in their Section B match. In men’s singles, Putul Sonowal followed up his opening-day win with another hard-fought victory against Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands. The match went to a tie-break after ending 1-1 in sets, with Sonowal recovering from a 3-4 deficit to win the first set 7-5, before Alexander claimed the second set 8-6. Sonowal then won the tie-break to complete the win.