![<p>PM Modi celebrates Jhandu Kumar’s bronze </p>
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“A spectacular performance by Jhandu Kumar, who opened India’s medal haul at the #CWG2026 by winning a Bronze in the Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting event! Congratulations to him. His achievement is a powerful reflection of immense strength, unwavering determination and years of disciplined effort.” Overcoming every challenge and excelling on the international stage, he made the entire nation proud and inspired countless Indians,” he wrote.
Jhandu bagged the bronze medal with the best throw of 190kg, earning 130.9 points to register India’s first medal of the Glasgow Games.
The Indian lifter started the competition with a successful 181kg lift, which brought 124.7 points. He then improved to 190kg on his second attempt, a lift that briefly moved him to the top of the rankings.
Chasing the gold medal, Jhandu went for 196kg in his last attempt, a weight that would have surpassed the Commonwealth Games record set in Birmingham 2022. However, he could not complete the lift and settled for the bronze medal.
The podium also gave India its first powerlifting medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Earlier in the day, Ashok fell just short of a medal in the men’s heavyweight final. He finished fourth after producing a personal best lift of 200kg, which earned him 143.8 points. Paramjeet Kumar finished seventh in the same event with a best lift of 176 kg.
India also had three women in action. Jaspreet Kaur finished sixth in the women’s lightweight category after successfully lifting 100 kg, while Suman Devi placed seventh with the same successful effort. In the women’s heavyweight event, Kasthuri Rajamani was unable to recall a valid lift after failing in all three attempts.
