India had a strong day of qualification results at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Monday as long jumper M Sreeshankar secured a spot in the final with a direct-qualifying mark, while swimmer Sajan Prakash and hurdler Tejas Shirse also advanced to their respective finals from the heats.
Sreeshankar’s early qualification keeps him firmly in medal contention in an event where he is aiming to better his previous Commonwealth Games finish, and the progress of Prakash and Shirse adds to India’s presence in multiple finals across athletics and aquatics.
M Sreeshankar clears the standard in his first attempt
Sreeshankar qualified for the men’s long jump final after breaching the qualifying standard in his very first attempt on Monday. The Indian, whose season’s best is 8.38m, registered a jump of 8.01m to earn direct qualification from Group A.
The qualification standard for the final was set at 8m, or alternatively, the 12 best performers across the groups. By going beyond 8m immediately, Sreeshankar ensured he did not need to rely on the overall field to progress.
The 27-year-old is hoping to improve on the silver medal he won at the 2022 edition of the Games. The report also noted that he is on a comeback trail after recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon in April 2024, for which he underwent surgery, an injury that ruled him out of a much-anticipated first appearance at the Paris Olympics.
Sreeshankar recorded his season’s best only last month at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
India also has Lokesh Sathyanathan in the long jump competition. He was set to be in action in Group B later in the day, according to the report.
The men’s long jump final is scheduled for July 29.
Sajan Prakash reaches 200m butterfly final after sixth-fastest heats time
In the pool, two-time Olympian Sajan Prakash qualified for the men’s 200m butterfly final after finishing as the sixth fastest swimmer overall in the heats on Monday.
Sajan clocked 1:58.59 to finish second in Heat 2 behind Scotland’s Duncan Scott, who touched in 1:58.29. That result earned Sajan a place in the eight-man final slated later tonight.
Australia’s Harrison Turner topped the qualification standings with 1:56.47, followed by New Zealand’s Lewis Clareburt (1:57.35) and England’s Edward Mildred (1:57.99).
Sajan finished ahead of Canada’s Benjamin Loewen (1:58.87) and Australia’s Matthew Temple (1:59.06), who completed the list of finalists.
The report added that the 32-year-old Indian’s career-best mark is 1:57.09, set earlier this year at the Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships.
Tejas Shirse becomes first Indian to make CWG 110m hurdles final
In athletics, national record holder Tejas Shirse qualified for the men’s 110m hurdles final after finishing sixth overall in the heats with a timing of 13.76 seconds on Monday.
The 24-year-old finished third in Heat 1, which was topped by overall leader Samuel Bennett of England in 13.20 seconds.
As per the qualification rules outlined in the report, the first three finishers in each heat and the next two fastest overall advanced to the final, which will be held later in the day.
Shirse’s season’s best came last month during the Indian Athletics Series 9 in Ludhiana, where he clocked 13.27 seconds, which is also the current national record.
What’s next for the Indian qualifiers
Sreeshankar will return for the men’s long jump final on July 29, while Prakash is set for the men’s 200m butterfly final later tonight. Shirse, meanwhile, has advanced to the men’s 110m hurdles final scheduled later in the day, keeping India represented in a key sprint hurdles final at the Games.
