‘Aap ka beta sab jhandu kar diya’: India’s CWG 2026 medalist reveals painful story behind his name ‘Jhandu’ Kumar

India’s Jhandu Kumar celebrates his bronze medal. (AP photo) NEW DELHI: When “Jhandu Kumar” echoed around the Commonwealth Games arena in Glasgow, it was no longer a name that evoked derision. It was the name that just brought India its first medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.Bihar’s para powerlifter endured ridicule for years for a name born of tragedy. On Friday, he turned that painful identity into a symbol of resilience, winning bronze in the men’s heavyweight powerlifting event and scripting one of India’s most inspirational games stories. The 28-year-old secured bronze with 130.9 points after successful lifts of 181kg and 190kg. A gutsy final attempt at 196kg, which could have put him in contention for the gold medal, narrowly missed him.

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Still, as Jhandu stood on the podium, he thought less of the missed opportunity and more of the remarkable journey that got him there.“The luck is overwhelming. I haven’t been able to sleep since last night… Even if I lie down, sleep just doesn’t come,” he said during an interaction with Sports Authority of India.

The painful story behind the name ‘Jhandu’

Long before he became India’s medalist, Jhandu was a five-year-old battling polio in a small village in Bihar.“My family says I got polio when I was 5 years old. I had to sit up and walk… People made fun of me. They said, ‘Now that he’s disabled, what’s he going to do?'” he said.His unusual first name came from another painful chapter. His parents had exhausted their savings trying to treat his illness. Family friends mocked the situation and said, “Aap ka beta sab jhandu kar diya, sab paisa khatam kar diya” (Your son has wasted all your money).The nickname stuck. He tried to escape this for a while by changing his name to Avinash Kumar. But during a visit to a government office, officials repeatedly called out “Jhandu Kumar”.Recalling the incident, he said officials called him in after repeatedly calling out “Jhandu Kumar” and burst out laughing when he confirmed his name. Instead of hiding from it, he decided to own it.“I felt that if everyone had a good laugh at my name … then the name was only good,” he said. “Now in all our documents it is Jhandu Kumar. So Avinash Kumar no longer exists.”

India’s Jhandu Kumar (PTI Photo)

From e-rickshaw driver to CWG medalist

To afford the supplements and maintain his training, Jhandu spent eight to nine months driving an e-rickshaw.“I was riding an e-rickshaw for my diet. I thought I would earn Rs 200-400 and have supplements and keep going to the gym,” he said.“I used to go to the gym in the evenings, but the problem was that I was tired after driving all day, so the time in the gym was getting shorter,” he explained, explaining that driving was difficult due to the effects of the paralysis.His sports career itself began almost by accident. Originally a shot putter, he was persuaded to switch to para powerlifting by Bihar coach Kundan Pandey, who recognized his natural strength.In 2022, watching Sudhir win Commonwealth Games gold ignited a dream.“When our gym owner told me that Sudhir bhai lifted 212 kg and won the Commonwealth Games, I said I will do it too. I thought I have to do it for my country,” he said.

Bronze today, bigger dreams tomorrow

Jhandu approached the competition with a clear strategy: “My goal was to get through the first lift. After that, the goal of the second lift was to get on the medal table. The third lift was for the gold medal.”The last attempt failed due to a technical error.“I couldn’t get the gold medal. It was a technical fault. I made a mistake in hasty breathing. When I went up, I did the lift correctly. But when I came out, it got stuck in the rack,” he added.Now training at the Sports Authority of India’s National Center of Excellence in Gandhinagar, he says life remains modest at home, where his parents continue to sell vegetables.But the bronze medal is just the beginning. His ultimate ambitions are already set.“My journey has begun. Next, I have the Para-Asian Games and the Paralympics to prepare for,” he said. “There is a record of 232 kg. I want to break that record.”