It was an eventful day in Glasgow for India in 2026 Commonwealth Games as Sharmila Dhankar became the first ever para athlete to win a gold medal for India in para athletics. The Haryana para athlete has delivered an outstanding performance in the women’s shot put F57 competition by winning the gold medal through her season best throw of 9.81 metres. The feat has made history for India in para athletics as it ends the 20 year long drought of a medal in Commonwealth Games for India in para athletics.
The 40 year old para athlete has performed extremely well throughout the event by beating other top class para athletes across the world. Sharmila Dhankar’s gold medal victory in para athletics is the first ever by an Indian athlete in Commonwealth Games para athletics.
Despite the polio infection in her left leg since the age of two, Sharmila did not allow this disability to dictate her future career path. This year she has already won gold at the Fazza International Para Athletics Championships, thus demonstrating her best condition before the Commonwealth Games. After the disappointment from getting the fourth place at the 2022 Birmingham Games, winning in Glasgow represents a huge breakthrough for her career.
The success of India in this competition turned out to be especially memorable due to the upgrading of para-athlete Shilpa K. Shyla to the third place after an official protest and examination. As a result, two Indian athletes managed to get medals at the women’s shot put F57 competition at the Commonwealth Games for para athletics.
However, Dhankar’s win was not the only thing that brought glory to India in the Games because Day 5 of the Commonwealth Games saw a very good showing from the Indian team, who won 6 medals in three disciplines including athletics, para athletics and weightlifting.
Indeed, the win for Sharmila Dhankar was a very significant accomplishment in terms of the history of Indian sport. Apart from the medal, the whole story of her participation in the Games is worth remembering and celebrating.
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