India produced its best day so far at the Commonwealth Games 2026, collecting six medals on Day 5 as Sharmila Dhankar delivered a landmark gold in para athletics. Dhankar’s season-best throw of 9.81 metres won the women’s shot put F57 title, making her India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallist in para athletics.
The strong day across athletics and weightlifting also featured silver medals for Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare and Valluri Ajaya Babu, while Bindyarani Devi and Shilpa K. Shyla added bronze. By the end of Day 5, India’s overall tally stood at 10 medals: two gold, five silver and three bronze.
Dhankar’s 9.81m gold leads a double podium in women’s shot put F57
The standout moment came in the women’s shot put F57, where Dhankar’s 9.81m effort secured the gold and a historic first for India in Commonwealth Games para athletics. India’s celebrations grew further when Shilpa K. Shyla was upgraded from fourth place to bronze following the disqualification of Nigeria’s Eucharia Iyiazi, handing India a double podium finish in the event.
Ghana’s Zinabu Issah took silver with a best throw of 8.65m, as the final standings shifted after the disqualification. For India, the gold-and-bronze outcome underlined a breakthrough day in para athletics, with Dhankar’s season-best marking the defining performance.
In the men’s high jump, Sarvesh Kushare added another significant athletics medal by becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games silver in the event. Kushare cleared 2.25m and finished second on countback to Jamaica’s Romaine Beckford, who also cleared 2.25m but had the cleaner series. England’s Kimani Jack claimed bronze with 2.20m.
Weightlifting delivers three more medals as India’s tally in the sport reaches six
Weightlifting continued to be India’s strongest discipline at CWG 2026, contributing three more medals on Day 5 and taking India’s overall haul in the sport to six.
Gyaneshwari Yadav began India’s medal run for the day with silver in the women’s 53kg category on her Commonwealth Games debut. The 23-year-old posted a personal-best total of 199kg, made up of 88kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk. She completed all six attempts successfully and briefly held the Commonwealth Games clean and jerk record before Nigeria’s Onome Omolola Didih surpassed it while winning gold with a Games-record total of 206kg.
Bindyarani Devi then secured bronze in the women’s 58kg category, earning her second successive Commonwealth Games medal after taking silver in Birmingham four years ago. The Manipuri lifter totalled 199kg (87kg snatch, 112kg clean and jerk). Nigeria’s Rafiatu Folashade Lawal defended her title with a Games-record total of 229kg, while Canada’s Ann Sophie Taschereau won silver with 215kg.
In the men’s 79kg event, Valluri Ajaya Babu narrowly missed gold but took silver after a strong performance that included a Commonwealth Games record of 149kg in the snatch. He finished with a total of 330kg (149kg snatch, 181kg clean and jerk). Malaysia’s Muhammad Erry Hidayat won gold with 331kg after a Games-record clean and jerk of 184kg, and Scotland’s Chris Murray earned bronze with 325kg.
Other Indian results on Day 5 and the updated medal tally
India also posted several notable results beyond the medal events. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar qualified for the men’s long jump final with an 8.01m effort, while Lokesh Satyanathan progressed with 7.77m. Tejas Shirse reached the men’s 110m hurdles final after clocking 13.76 seconds in the heats, but later finished last in the final. Gurindervir Singh exited in the men’s 100m heats with 10.39 seconds, placing 28th overall.
In swimming, Olympian Sajan Prakash advanced to the men’s 200m butterfly final with 1:59.58 before finishing eighth in the final. Aryan Nehra placed seventh in the men’s 800m freestyle final. Para swimmer Swatik Patil qualified for the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final with the sixth-fastest heat time and finished fifth in the final.
India’s boxers continued their run with wins for Sachin Siwach, who beat England’s William Hewitt 4-1 in the men’s 60kg round of 16, Ankush, who won 5-0 over Antigua and Barbuda’s Zalaan Jan in the men’s 80kg division, and Sakshi Choudhary, who defeated Botswana’s Lethabo Modukanele 5-0 in the women’s 51kg category. Sumit Kundu exited after losing to Northern Ireland’s Jon McConnell in the men’s 70kg round of 16.
Elsewhere, Protistha Samanta finished seventh in the women’s vault final in artistic gymnastics, and Putul Sonowal lost to Kenya’s Anwar Hamada in the men’s singles sectional play in bowls.
At the end of Day 5, India’s 10 medals were: Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (gold, women’s shot put F57), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Sarvesh Kushare (silver, men’s high jump), Valluri Ajaya Babu (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting), Shilpa K. Shyla (bronze, women’s shot put F57) and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting).
