Glasgow:
India celebrated a historic double podium finish at the Commonwealth Games 2026 as Sharmila Dhankar won gold and Shilpa K. Shyla claimed bronze in the women’s shot put F57 final, held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow on Monday.
Sharmila Dhankar Creates History with Gold Medal
The 40-year-old Haryana-born athlete produced a season-best throw of 9.81 metres to win India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in para athletics, ending a 20-year wait for the country in the discipline. Sharmila, who took up the sport only six years ago after contracting polio at age two, beat Ghana’s Zinabu Issah, who took silver with a best effort of 8.65m.
Speaking after her win, Sharmila said she was extremely happy to win a medal for the country and dedicated it to her mother, adding that she felt proud and would continue working to bring glory to the nation. She has already set her sights on the Asian Games and the Paralympics as her next targets.
Shilpa Shyla Upgraded to Bronze After Review
Karnataka’s Shilpa K. Shyla, who lost her left leg in a road accident at age four, initially finished fourth with a personal-best throw of 7.26m. She was later upgraded to bronze after Nigeria’s Eucharia Iyiazi was disqualified following an official review — handing India its first double podium finish of the Glasgow Games.
Shilpa, competing at her first Commonwealth Games, said she couldn’t describe how she felt and thanked everyone who had supported her journey to the podium.
India’s Medal Tally Reaches 10
The result took India’s overall medal tally at the Glasgow Games to 10 — two gold, five silver, and three bronze. India’s medallists so far include Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, shot put F57), Rishikanta Singh, Muthupandi Raja, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare and Valluri Ajaya Babu (all silver), and Bindyarani Devi, Shilpa Shyla and Jhandu Kumar (all bronze).
A Landmark Day for Indian Para Athletics
The women’s shot put F57 event, a category for seated athletes with lower-limb impairments, delivered one of the standout moments of Day 5 for India at the Games, with both Indian athletes’ journeys — from a farming family in rural Haryana to a road accident survivor in Karnataka — adding to the significance of the achievement.
