India’s medal charge gathered pace as Asmita Dey clinched a historic judo gold, while Yamini Mourya and Harsh Singh booked places in their respective finals.
BY PC Bureau
July 31, 2026: India’s campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games gathered fresh momentum on Friday as judoka Asmita Dey scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo. The 23-year-old clinched the women’s 48kg title after defeating Canada’s Heidi Quach in a commanding final, taking India’s gold tally to four and reinforcing the country’s growing strength in combat sports.
Dey’s road to the title was marked by a series of impressive performances. She opened her campaign with an emphatic ippon victory over Scotland’s Eva Ewing in the quarter-finals before edging another Scottish judoka, Summer Shaw, by yuko in a closely contested golden-score semi-final. Carrying that momentum into the final, Dey outclassed Quach to seal a landmark victory that triggered celebrations across the Indian contingent.
India’s medal hopes in judo received a further boost as Yamini Mourya (women’s 57kg) and Harsh Singh (men’s 60kg) progressed to their respective gold-medal bouts, assuring the country of at least two more medals, with the possibility of adding to the gold tally later in the day.
Asmita Dey wins GOLD for India! 🇮🇳🥇
A sensational performance from Asmita Dey as she clinches the Women’s 48kg Judo Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026!
🥇 Women’s 48kg Judo Champion
🇮🇳 India’s 4th Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026A golden moment for Indian… https://t.co/VmfXthaW2N
— IndiaSportsHub (@IndiaSportsHub) July 31, 2026
The boxing team also continued its impressive run. Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) advanced further in their categories after convincing performances, adding to India’s already assured medals in the sport. With several Indian pugilists still in contention for gold, boxing is expected to remain one of India’s biggest contributors to the overall medal tally.
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In athletics, Tejaswin Shankar stayed firmly in contention for a decathlon medal. The versatile athlete produced another consistent set of performances, including personal-best efforts in some events, to remain among the leading contenders heading into the final disciplines alongside Olympic champion Damian Warner of Canada.
Following Dey’s historic triumph, India’s medal tally climbed to 18 medals—4 gold, 10 silver and 4 bronze—keeping the country inside the top 10 of the Commonwealth Games standings. Weightlifting and para-athletics have so far contributed the bulk of India’s medals, with gold medals coming from Mirabai Chanu in weightlifting and Sharmila Dhankar and Dilip Gavit in para-athletics.
Friday is expected to be one of India’s busiest and potentially most rewarding days at the Games. Apart from the remaining boxing finals and the conclusion of the decathlon, all eyes will be on the men’s javelin throw, where Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, along with Rohit Yadav and Yash Vir Singh, will look to add another medal to India’s growing tally.
Asmita Dey’s breakthrough victory, however, has already ensured that Friday will be remembered as a landmark day for Indian judo, with the young judoka opening a new chapter in the country’s Commonwealth Games history.
