Commonwealth Games 2026: Jhandu Kumar wins Para Powerlifting bronze to open India’s medal haul

India opened its medal account at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after Jhandu Kumar clinched the bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting Final in Glasgow in the early hours of Saturday (IST).

The Indian registered a best successful lift of 190kg, which earned him 130.9 points and secured a place on the podium.

Jhandu made a confident start by clearing 181kg in his opening attempt for 124.7 points before improving to 190kg in his second lift. The effort propelled him to the top of the standings at the time.

The Indian then attempted 196kg in his final lift, a weight that would have set a new Commonwealth Games meet record from the Birmingham 2022 edition. However, he was unable to complete the lift successfully and had to settle for bronze.

Earlier in the day, India’s campaign in the lightweight events ended without a medal. Ashok finished fourth in the men’s lightweight final after producing a personal-best lift of 200kg (143.8 points), while Paramjeet Kumar placed seventh with 176kg (135.6 points).

In the women’s lightweight events, Jaspreet Kaur finished sixth with a best lift of 100kg (96.4 points), while Suman Devi ended seventh after registering 100kg (88.4 points).

Meanwhile, Kasthuri Rajamani was unable to register a successful lift in the women’s heavyweight final after failing all three of her attempts.

Jhandu’s bronze ensured India ended the day with its first medal from the para powerlifting competition at the Glasgow Games.