CWG: Jhandu Kumar, who sold vegetables on an e-rickshaw, won India’s first medal
India didn’t have to wait long to get out of the limelight at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and the breakthrough came wrapped in a story of extraordinary trajectory. Jhandu Kumar, a 29-year-old former e-rickshaw driver and son of a roadside vegetable vendor from Bihar, won a historic bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight powerlifting event, securing India’s first podium finish at the Games.
Coming to on the heels of a heartbreaking fourth place finish in the men’s lightweight earlier in the day, Jhandu turned despair into celebration with a sensational performance in a field full of top lifters.
In para powerlifting, where medals are determined using a complex scoring system that considers body weight against the weight lifted, competitors are divided into groups. Group A lifters, who compete second and usually boast a higher body weight, usually have a distinct tactical advantage. In the lightweight category, every medal previously belonged to Group A competitors.
Group B contestant Jhandu completely rewrote this scenario.
The 29-year-old started his campaign with absolute authority. His second attempt, a successful lift of 190kg, was enough to propel him to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway point with a score of 130.9 points. Despite being 8kg short of his personal best, the sheer efficiency of the lift put enormous pressure on the rest of the field.
Jhandu pushed for absolute glory in his latest attempt, going for a monstrous 196kg, but narrowly missing out. Still, his 190kg effort has already put him in a commanding position. On-air commentators immediately noted that his 130.9-point benchmark would likely survive the Group A onslaught and earn him a place on the podium.
THRILLING END
When the heavier riders in Group A entered the scene, Jhandu’s total proved almost impossible.
Nigeria’s Riluwan Idris eventually grabbed the gold with a best lift of 208kg, scoring 132.8 points. England’s Matthew Harding won the silver after lifting 199kg for 131.0 points – just a fraction ahead of the Indian.
Jhandu held firm in third place to secure the bronze medal. In a testament to the high level of competition, apart from gold Idris, silver Harding and bronze Jhand, no other competitor in the entire competition managed to break the 130 mark.
Meanwhile, India’s Sudhir, who was disqualified for doping after winning gold at the 2024 Commonwealth Games, finished sixth in the competition. Screengrab from the Glasgow 2026 website
WHO IS JHANDU KUMAR?
Jhandu Kumar is a Commonwealth Games medalist (Courtesy: Instagram)
Jhandu’s bronze medal is a triumph over extreme suffering. Born in Harnaut in Nalanda district of Bihar, Jhandu suffered from polio since birth. Growing up in a humble family, he helped his father sell potatoes and onions by the roadside to make ends meet and ended up driving an e-rickshaw to earn a daily wage during the Covid-19 pandemic.
His sports journey started in 2017 in para athletics where he competed in shot put and discus F55 and won several medals at district and state level. However, working out in the gym sparked a deeper passion for powerlifting, prompting a full transition to the sport.
His breakthrough came through adversity. After failing to register a successful lift at his debut national championship – forced to sell his e-rickshaw in 2023 just to afford the trip – his raw potential caught the eye of Paralympic bronze medalist Rajinder Singh Rahela. Invited to train at SAI’s National Center of Excellence (NCoE) in Gandhinagar under Rahel, Jhandu’s career skyrocketed.
He became India’s leading lifter in the 72 kg class, setting a national record with a lift of 205 kg at the national championships before increasing it to 206 kg at the Khelo India Para Games. International success quickly followed with a bronze at the Beijing 2025 World Championships and a further bronze at the 2026 Asia-Oceania Championships.
Now, with a Commonwealth Games medal around his neck, the former vegetable vendor from Nalanda has not only opened India’s list in Glasgow but has set his sights firmly on the ultimate dream: a medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
25 Jul 2026 02:27 IST