Commonwealth Games 2026 Highlights Day 2: Jhandu Clinches Bronze In Para Powerlifting, Opens India's Medal Account

Hello and welcome back to another live blog! We're here with Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 2, bringing you all the latest updates, results, and highlights from Glasgow. Stay tuned as Indian athletes compete across multiple events throughout the day.

Fans in India can watch the Commonwealth Games 2026 live on Sony LIV, while television coverage will be available on Sony Sports Ten 2 and Sony Sports Ten 2 HD.

The Games will also be broadcast on Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi) and its HD channel, with Sony Sports Ten 4 offering coverage in Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada. Additionally, live telecasts will be available on DD Sports via DD Free Dish.

India's CWG 2026 Day 2 Preview and Schedule

Lovlina Borgohain assured India of its first medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after receiving a direct bye into the women's 75kg boxing semifinals, guaranteeing herself at least a bronze medal under the competition format.

The Indian men's team of Tapan Mohanty, Swathish KP, Tapeshwarnath Das, and Yogeshwar Singh will be in action in the qualification round. The quartet will be aiming to book places in the individual finals while also securing a berth in the men's team final. A strong performance in qualification could keep India's medal hopes alive later in the day.

As per report in The Times of India, Indian judoka Tulika Maan has received a provisional suspension from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for alleged whereabouts failures, thus ending her dream of participating at the CWG 2026.

R.V.V.B.K. Budigina and Imam Ali will be in action for India at the  Tollcross International Swimming Centre.

R.V.V.B.K. Budigina (57.10s) finishes third while Imam Ali (1:05.32s) finishes last amongst the eight swimmers. All eight swimmers progress to the final which will be held at midnight.

Srihari Nataraj from India clocked a time of 25.52 seconds, finishing joint-14th out of 40 competitors in the men's 50m backstroke heats. This performance is sufficient for him to advance to the semis.

Indian athletes Tapeswaranath Das, Swathish Kaitheri Puthalath, Tapan Mohanty, Yogeshwar Singh will be seen in action which begins at 5pm IST.

Live visuals from The Arena, where India’s Tapeswaranath Das, Swathish Kaitheri Puthalath, Tapan Mohanty, and Yogeshwar Singh are about to compete in the Men’s Team Final and the Individual Qualification Round in Artistic Gymnastics.

India's Tapan Mohanty scored a total of 12.150 in his floor exercise routine, breaking it down to a Difficulty of 4.700 and an Execution score of 7.450.

Yogeshwar, on the other hand, received a score of 10.600, which includes a Difficulty of 5.000, an Execution of 6.100, and a Penalty of -0.5.

Tapeswaranath Das ended up with the lowest score among the three Indian competitors, totaling 9.500, with a Difficulty of 4.600 and an Execution score of 4.900.

Yogeshwar had a bit of an awkward landing after a flawless routine, earning him a score of 11.100 (Difficulty - 4.000, Execution - 7.100). On the other hand, Tapan scored lower on this apparatus, finishing with a total of 9.850 (Difficulty - 2.700, Execution - 7.150).

Powerlifters Ashok and Parmjeet Kumar are set to compete in the men's lightweight category shortly. This event is for medals and will take place at SEC Armadillo.

Tapan Mohanty, Yogeshwar Singh and Swathish Kaitheri Puthalath are now taking part in the next apparatus - the vault.

India’s Ashok and Parmjeet in action. For his initial lift, Parmjeet has chosen a weight of 176kg. He receives two green lights and one red light from the referee, signaling that it's a successful lift. Ashok kicks off his competition with a weight of 195kg, the heaviest so far. Ashok successfully completes a clean lift!

Parmjeet is gearing up to try lifting 179kg again. Unfortunately, that won’t be enough to secure a spot on the podium. He successfully completes the lift this time, but the judges deem it not clean, resulting in three red lights. For his last attempt, Ashok decides to go for 205kg. Even if he nails the lift, it will only keep him in fourth place, but it would mark the heaviest lift of his career. With personal pride on the line, he gives it his all but falls short of completing the lift. Still, he wraps up in fourth place with a score of 143.8.

Mark Swan from England clinches the gold medal in the men’s lightweight category of para powerlifting, achieving a score of 153.902. Roland Ezuruike from Nigeria takes home the silver with a score of 153.874, while the bronze medal is awarded to Bonnie Bunyau Gustin from Malaysia, who scored 153.5.

Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey will be in action next for the Women’s Pairs Lawn Bowls event vs South Africa. In Para Power lifting, Jaspreet Kaur moves to the top of Group B in the women’s lightweight final with a clean first attempt of 95kg, which fetches her 91.6 points.

The Indian lifter falls short on her second attempt, missing the ambitious lift. Despite the setback, she remains atop Group B for now, with one more opportunity left to improve her total. A crucial third attempt awaits.

The Indian delivers under pressure, successfully lifting 100kg on her final attempt to register a 96.4-point total. She signs off with an impressive performance, finishing on top of Group B. Attention now shifts to Group A, where the battle for the medals is set to unfold.

Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey continue their fine run in the Women's Pairs Sectional Play, defeating South Africa's Thabelo Muvhango and Janse van Rensburg 2-0. A composed and clinical display sees the Indian duo register their second consecutive victory in the competition.

Suman Devi is unable to clear 103kg in either of her final two attempts, with her best successful lift of 100kg earning 88.4 points. She finishes sixth in Group A, bringing India's campaign in the event to a close without a medal.

Bose Omolayo Nworgu and Esther Oyema secure gold and silver respectively, while England's Olivia Broome claims the bronze medal with 106.6 points. A commanding display from the Nigerian duo as they finish one-two in Glasgow.

After two subdivisions, the Indian team leads the standings with 208.550 points, putting themselves in a strong position. Bangladesh sit second, while Singapore occupy third as the competition heads into the remaining subdivisions.

Despite missing out on medals earlier in the day, the tricolour still has multiple opportunities to shine before the curtains come down on Day 2 in Glasgow.

Coming up for India:

• 10:40 p.m. – Women's Heavyweight Para Powerlifting Final: Kasthuri Rajamani

• 11:00 p.m. – Men's 55kg Boxing (Round of 32): Jadumani Singh Mandengbam vs Aaron Cullen (Scotland)

• 12:00 a.m. – Men's S13 100m Freestyle Final: R.V.V.B.K. Budigina and Imam Ali

• 12:29 a.m. – Men's 50m Backstroke Semifinal: Srihari Nataraj

• 12:29 a.m. – Men's Heavyweight Para Powerlifting Final: Jhandu Kumar and Sudhir

The Indian lawn bowler returns to the greens for his Men's Singles Section D Round 2 clash against Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands. Sonowal enters the contest brimming with confidence after pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament by defeating reigning world champion Ryan Bester in his opening match. Riding that momentum, the Indian will be eager to extend his winning run and strengthen his position in the group.

Falkland Islands’ Cecil Alexander is up against India's Sonowal in the lawn bowls event.

Just when it looked like Sonowal was about to secure three more points, Falkland Islands' Cecil hits the jack, shifting the advantage to the Falkland Islands and snatching three points to take a 4-3 lead. It's a really unfortunate way for Sonowal to wrap up the second round.

Defying all expectations and under immense pressure, Sonowal delivers an impeccable throw to clinch the tiebreaker, narrowly defeating his opponent 1-0. What an incredible match!

The Indian lawn bowler continues his dream run in the Men's Singles Section D, edging past Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in a hard-fought tie-break. It marks Sonowal's second consecutive victory of the competition, following his stunning upset of reigning world champion Ryan Bester. Another composed display keeps the Indian firmly on course for the knockout stages.

The Indian boxer produced a commanding display in the Men's 55kg Round of 32, defeating Scotland's Aaron Cullen by a 5-0 unanimous decision. Fighting in front of a partisan home crowd, Jadumani stayed composed from start to finish, outboxing his opponent with clinical precision to book his place in the pre-quarterfinals and give India another reason to celebrate on Day 2 in Glasgow.

The Indian para powerlifter is unable to clear 111kg on her second attempt in the Women's Heavyweight final, leaving her with just one final opportunity to register a successful lift. With the pressure mounting, her last attempt will be crucial in keeping her medal hopes alive.

The Indian para powerlifter is unable to clear 112kg on her third and final attempt in the Women's Heavyweight final, bringing her campaign to a disappointing end. After three unsuccessful lifts, Rajamani bows out without registering a successful attempt, as India's wait for a para powerlifting medal on Day 2 continues.

R.V.V.B.K. Budigina narrowly missed out on a podium finish in the Men's 100m Freestyle S13 final, clocking 57.57 seconds to finish fourth, just outside the medals. Ali Imam also gave his all, placing seventh with a time of 1:03.73. South Africa's Nathan Hendricks clinched the gold in 54.54s, while Scotland's Stephen Clegg (55.16s) and England's Matthew Redfern (56.86s) completed the podium. Another valiant effort from the Indian swimmers, but the wait for a medal continues.

The Indian para powerlifter got his men's heavyweight campaign off to a flying start with a successful 181kg lift on his very first attempt. Awarded three white lights by the referees, Jhandu briefly moves to the top of the Group B standings after the opening round, laying down an early marker in the medal race.

The Indian para powerlifter nailed his second attempt of 190kg, producing another clean lift to strengthen his position at the top of the Group B standings. With 130.9 points, Jhandu remains firmly in control and has put himself in a strong position as the heavyweight competition heads into its decisive phase.

The Indian attempted 196kg on his third and final lift but couldn't complete it successfully. However, his earlier successful lifts of 181kg and 190kg keep him at the top of the Group B standings with 130.9 points for the time being. Now, all eyes are on the remaining lifters as Jhandu waits to see if his score will be enough to keep him in medal contention.

Play has been halted in the Artistic Gymnastics arena after a worrying incident during the Men's Team Final. Gabriel Langton suffered a heavy fall from the High Bar, prompting immediate medical attention and a suspension of competition. Officials have paused the event while Langton receives treatment. Everyone at the venue will be hoping for positive news and a speedy recovery for the gymnast.

The Indian para powerlifter has opened his campaign with back-to-back successful lifts of 182kg and 183kg, showing impressive consistency under pressure. However, his best effort is currently worth 114.1 points, leaving him outside the medal positions for now. With a bold 207kg set for his final attempt, Sudhir will be aiming for a big lift to climb into medal contention.

Idris has produced a stunning 208kg lift to move into the gold medal position, pushing India's Jhandu Kumar down the standings. The Indian can now finish with at best a bronze medal, but his fate will depend on how the remaining lifters perform in the closing stages of the competition.

Matthew Hardy failed to clear 202kg on his final attempt, ending his hopes of gold and leaving him with the silver medal. That seals a memorable victory for Nigeria's Riluwan Idris, who claims the gold medal in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event after his outstanding 208kg lift.

Sudhir gave it everything on his final attempt, going for a massive 211kg lift in pursuit of silver, but couldn't complete it and finished just outside the podium. However, there's reason to celebrate as Jhandu Kumar officially secures the bronze medal, earning India's first medal of the Commonwealth Games 2026. A gritty performance from both lifters, with Jhandu delivering the breakthrough moment for the Indian contingent.

The final standings confirm Jhandu Kumar clinched the bronze medal in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event with 130.9 points, finishing behind Nigeria's Riluwan Idris (132.8) and England's Matthew Harding (131.0). Jhandu missed silver by a slender 0.1 point and gold by just 1.9 points, underlining how fiercely contested the event was. Meanwhile, Sudhir ended fourth in Group A with 114.1 points, narrowly missing the podium despite a spirited campaign. India's wait for an opening medal is finally over, with Jhandu delivering a memorable breakthrough on Day 2.

What a memorable day it turned out to be for India at the Commonwealth Games 2026. After several near misses, Jhandu Kumar finally broke the deadlock by clinching India's first medal of the Games, a hard-earned bronze in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event. There were plenty of encouraging performances across boxing, lawn bowls and para sports, setting the stage for an exciting Day 3.

That's all from our live coverage today. We'll be back tomorrow with more action, updates and medal hopes from Glasgow. Until then, goodnight, take care, and see you tomorrow!