‘We have made the entire nation proud’: PM Modi reacts as Jhandu Kumar wins India’s first medal at 2026 Commonwealth Games

CWG 2026: Jhandu Kumar wins bronze in para powerlifting, opens India’s medal tally in Glasgow Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated para powerlifter Jhanda Kumar after the Indian athlete won the country’s first medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, securing a bronze in men’s heavyweight para powerlifting in Glasgow on Saturday.Prime Minister at X, hailed Jhandu’s success and praised the determination that helped him reach the podium on the international stage.

PM Modi celebrates Jhanda Kumar’s bronze

“A sensational performance by Jhanda Kumar who opened India’s medal tally at #CWG2026 by winning bronze in Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting! Congratulations to him. His achievement is a powerful reflection of immense strength, unwavering determination and years of disciplined effort. By overcoming every challenge and excelling, he has done us immensely proud and inspired the entire international scene.”Jhandu won the bronze medal with the top lift of 190kg and scored 130.9 points to register India’s first medal at the Glasgow Games.The Indian competitor started the competition with a successful lift of 181 kg, which earned him 124.7 points. He then improved to 190 kg on his second attempt, which briefly moved him to the top of the rankings.In pursuit of a gold medal, Jhandu went for 196kg in his final attempt, a weight that would have broken the Commonwealth Games record set at Birmingham 2022. However, he failed to complete the lift and settled for a bronze medal.The podium finish also earned India its first medal in para powerlifting at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.Earlier in the day, Ashok narrowly missed out on a medal in the men’s lightweight final. He finished fourth after a personal best 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 an equally successful effort. In women’s heavyweight, Kasthuri Rajamani failed to register a valid lift after failing in all three attempts.