Judo Highlights, Commonwealth Games 2026: India's Unnati Sharma Clinches Bronze; Tokas Fails In Repechage

Hello and welcome back to another live blog. The tatami is set, the judokas are ready, and it’s time for Judo Live Updates from the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow. Stay with us for all the throws, holds, upsets and medal moments as India’s campaign unfolds live.

India scripted a historic chapter in judo at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games yesterday, delivering an unprecedented campaign highlighted by a remarkable haul of two gold medals and one silver. Asmita Dey paved the way by triumphing in a tense women's 48kg final against Canada's Heidi Quach, holding her nerve through a grueling golden score period to secure India's first-ever judo gold. Moments later, Harsh Singh added a second yellow metal with a tactically brilliant waza-ari victory over Australia's experienced Olympian Joshua Katz in the men's 60kg decider, becoming the country's first male judoka to clinch a Commonwealth Games title. The phenomenal day on the mat was further embellished by Yamini Mourya, who fought her way to a hard-earned silver medal in the women's 57kg division, capping off India’s most successful judo outing on the international multi-sport stage.

India's Unnati Sharma delivered a dominant performance in the women's -63kg round of 16 at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, securing a resounding victory over Eswatini's Lamulela Magagula via Ippon. Sharma quickly took control of the contest, executing a sharp waza-ari after wrapping her arms around her opponent early in the bout. Maintaining relentless pressure, the Indian judoka freed her foot to pin Magagula’s torso squarely to the mat. She held the dominant position as the 10-second hold-down timer successfully ran out, sealing a clinical and commanding win to advance further into the tournament.

India's Karanjit Singh Maan delivered a spectacular finish to defeat New Zealand's Elliott Connolly in the men's -90kg Round of 16, securing victory via Ippon.

The bout got off to a cagey, slow start, with Connolly receiving an early Shido as both competitors struggled to score. Following instructions from his coach on the sidelines, Maan remained patient until the final minute. With just 50 seconds left on the clock and both judokas handed a Shido for non-combativity, the Indian athlete seized his opportunity. Launching a swift and decisive attack, Maan executed a picture-perfect Sumi Gaishi (corner throw), flinging Connolly onto his back to score the match-winning Ippon and advance in style.

India's Unnati Sharma produced a commanding display to defeat New Zealand's Qona Christie in the women's -63kg quarter-finals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, advancing to the semi-finals in style. Setting the tone right from the opening whistle, the aggressive Indian judoka secured an early yuko just 15 seconds into the bout. She then extended her advantage by landing a decisive waza-ari in the third minute, comfortably managing the remainder of the contest until the clock ran out to seal a dominant victory.

Harsh Tokas bowed out in the men's -81kg quarter-finals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, suffering a hard-fought defeat against Cyprus's Odysseas Georgakis.

The Cypriot judoka came out on the aggressive front foot, but Harsh stood firm with disciplined defense before turning the tables to launch his own attacks. The intensity led to both competitors picking up a Shido at the 47-second mark. As the bout crossed the halfway stage, Harsh was penalized with a second Shido. Capitalizing on the momentum, Georgakis quickly broke the deadlock by felling the Indian onto his side to secure a crucial Yuko—a decisive score that ultimately proved to be the difference maker as the clock ran out.

India's Inunganbi Takhellambam bowed out of the women's -70kg quarter-finals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, suffering a defeat against Canada's Charlie Thibault by Ippon.

The bout began with an intense battle for control as the Canadian sought openings, though the Indian judoka responded with positive attacking intent despite picking up an early shido. As the clock ticked down to the final 90 seconds, both competitors were level on shidos and forced to accelerate the pace. Thibault broke the deadlock by executing a throw that dropped Inunganbi onto her side, securing a yuko to register the match's first points. Within a minute, the Canadian capitalized further, executing a decisive throw to floor Inunganbi onto her back and clinch a decisive Ippon with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock.

India's Karanjit Singh Maan bowed out of the men's -90kg quarter-finals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, suffering a defeat against Canada's Guillaume Gaulin by Ippon.

The bout began with an aggressive exchange as both judokas battled for a grip and attempted to throw each other, but the Canadian seized the initiative. Gaulin successfully executed a waza-ari at the 2:15 mark and quickly capitalized on the momentum, converting it into a match-winning Ippon just 15 seconds later. With this hard-fought loss, Karanjit now moves into the repechage rounds to keep his medal hopes alive.

In judo, the repechage system serves as a second-chance pathway for athletes who suffer a loss in the main elimination rounds, allowing them to still contend for a bronze medal. The structure of the repechage depends directly on how far a competitor advanced before their defeat; typically, judokas who lose in the quarter-finals or later stages enter the repechage brackets. They then face off in elimination matches against other defeated contenders, with the ultimate survivors advancing to contest the two bronze medals against the losers of the semi-finals.

Harsh Tokas kept his medal hopes alive in the men's -81kg division at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games with a dominant repechage C/D victory over Samoa's Peniamina Percival. Showing exceptional urgency and precision after dropping his earlier quarter-final, the Indian judoka wasted no time taking control of the contest. Harsh overwhelmed his opponent with aggressive throws and swift transitions, securing two decisive waza-ari scores to wrap up a lightning-fast victory by Ippon in just over a minute of action, advancing him further down the repechage path toward a potential bronze medal clash.

India's Inunganbi Takhellambam saw her medal hopes come to an end at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, bowing out in the women's -70kg repechage C/D round following a swift defeat against England's Jemima Yeats-Brown. After a challenging earlier exit in the quarter-finals, the Indian judoka looked to reignite her campaign through the repechage pathway, but faced an aggressive opponent. Yeats-Brown seized immediate control of the bout, overpowering Inunganbi and securing a decisive Ippon victory in just over a minute of action to eliminate the Indian contender from medal contention.

India's Karanjit Singh Maan saw his medal campaign come to a dramatic and heartbreaking end in the men's -90kg repechage C/D round at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, suffering a narrow defeat against Scotland's Scott Cusack.

After a grueling regulation period where neither judoka could break the deadlock on the scoreboard—despite Karanjit accumulating two shido penalties—the tense bout was forced into the golden score extra period. However, the extra time lasted only seconds as the Indian judoka was handed a third shido penalty, resulting in hansoku-make and handing the victory and progression to the Scottish competitor.

India's Unnati Sharma suffered a heartbreaking defeat in the women's -63kg semi-finals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, going down to Australia's Saya Middleton by Ippon in 2:43 minutes.

Unnati made a bright start to the bout, seizing the initiative early to score a yuko in just the 27th second and maintaining a fierce attacking tempo. However, Middleton fought back to level the score with a yuko before executing a swift move to secure a waza-ari around the 1:51 mark. That shift in momentum proved decisive as the Australian capitalized instantly, flipping the Indian judoka onto her back for a second waza-ari just 30 seconds later to seal the match by Ippon. Despite the semi-final setback, Unnati's campaign continues, with her medal hopes firmly intact as she moves into the bronze medal playoff.

India's Unnati Sharma is set to return to the mat shortly, with her high-stakes women's -63kg bronze medal match against South Africa's Skye Knoester officially scheduled to get underway at 9:10 PM. After a hard-fought campaign that saw her reach the semi-finals, Unnati will look to bounce back and secure a spot on the podium in this crucial final showdown.

India's Harsh Tokas is set to return to the mat shortly, with his high-stakes men's -81kg bronze medal match against Australia's Keishin Ochi officially scheduled to get underway at 9:25 PM. After a hard-fought campaign, Harsh will look to bounce back and secure a spot on the podium in this crucial final showdown.

India's Unnati Sharma claimed a brilliant bronze medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, defeating South Africa's Skye Knoester by an emphatic Ippon in the women's -63kg category.

Ending in just 1:07 minutes, the bout was settled when Unnati seized her opening with a swift, decisive move, hooking her opponent's leg to break her balance and slam her onto her back. With zero shidos or yukos needed, the clean, one-and-done ippon sealed the victory instantly, leaving a delighted Unnati with a well-deserved medal to take home.

India's Harsh Tokas missed out on a podium finish at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, losing his men's -81kg bronze medal match to Australia's Keishin Ochi via an Ippon in the closing stages.

Following a cagey and defensive opening that saw both judokas pick up shidos within the first 18 seconds—followed by a second penalty against Harsh near the halfway mark—the tight bout was abruptly settled with 43 seconds remaining. Ochi executed a swift, decisive throw that put Harsh on his back, securing the ippon and the bronze medal to end the Indian judoka's campaign.