Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar after the Bihar-born athlete won India’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026, clinching bronze in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event in Glasgow.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister hailed Jhandu’s remarkable achievement, describing it as a testament to his perseverance and determination.
“A spectacular performance by Jhandu Kumar, who has opened India’s medal tally at the CWG 2026 by winning a Bronze in the Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting event! Congratulations to him. His achievement is a powerful reflection of immense strength, unwavering determination and years of disciplined effort. By overcoming every challenge and excelling on the international stage, he has made the entire nation proud and inspired countless Indians,” PM Modi said.
Jhandu secured the bronze medal with a best successful lift of 190kg, earning 130.9 points to finish third in the overall standings and open India’s medal account at the Glasgow Games.
The Indian lifter began his campaign with a successful lift of 181kg, scoring 124.7 points, before improving to 190kg in his second attempt, which briefly placed him at the top of the leaderboard. In his final attempt, he went for 196kg—a lift that would have surpassed the Commonwealth Games record set at Birmingham 2022—but was unable to complete it.
Nigeria’s Riluwan Idris claimed the gold medal with 132.8 points, while England’s Matthew Harding secured silver with 131.0 points, leaving Jhandu just 0.1 point short of the silver medal.
Earlier in the competition, Jhandu topped Group B ahead of Uganda’s Dennis Mbaziira and Australia’s Ben Wright before his performance proved good enough to secure an overall bronze in the combined classification.
The 29-year-old’s rise to the Commonwealth Games podium is a story of resilience. Born in Harnaut in Bihar’s Nalanda district and affected by polio since birth, Jhandu grew up in a modest household as the son of a vegetable vendor. He initially competed in the F55 shot put and discus throw events before switching to para powerlifting in 2017 after discovering his strength during gym training.
India narrowly missed another medal in the men’s lightweight category, where Ashok finished fourth with a personal-best lift of 200kg and 143.8 points, while Paramjeet Kumar placed seventh with a best lift of 176kg.
In the women’s lightweight competition, Jaspreet Kaur finished sixth after lifting 100kg, with Suman Devi placing seventh with the same successful lift. Kasthuri Rajamani, competing in the women’s heavyweight event, was unable to register a valid lift after all three of her attempts were unsuccessful.
(With agency inputs)
