Commonwealth Games 2026: Indian athletes who could be dark horses

The highly anticipated 22nd edition of the Commonwealth Games is less than 10 days away.

India will send contingent of 125 athletes to compete across 13 sports, including 5 para sports, at this exciting 10-day multi-sport extravaganza.

The Indian contingent is a healthy blend of experienced campaigners and promising young talents, challenging a few of the world's best athletes for the title.

It features multiple Olympic medallists, including Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, and Lovlina Borgohain, alongside rising stars such as Jadumani Singh, Gyaneshwari Yadav, and Pooja Singh.

Here, The Bridge takes a look at some Indian athletes who could emerge as dark horses at Glasgow 2026.

Rohit Yadav - Men's Javelin Throw

The 25-year-old enjoyed one of his most consistent seasons yet, being the only Indian to breach the 82m mark three times this year, highlighted by a personal best throw of 87.05m.

He currently sits second in the 2026 world standings behind Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage (92.62m) and can challenge for a medal in Glasgow.

However, he faces an exceptionally tough field featuring the last two Olympic champions in Neeraj Chopra (India), and Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan); the reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott (Trinidad & Tobago).

Two-time World Champion Anders Peters (Grenada), former Olympic medalist Julius Yego (Kenya) and in-form Pathirage will also be a part of the men's javelin throw field.

Although this year hasn't been great for all these great athletes, Rohit will still have to fight till the end and might need another massive throw to win a medal.

Inunganbi Takhellambam - Judo

The 27-year-old Judoka has recently ended India's 13-year wait for a judo medal at the Asian Championships with a 70kg bronze medal in Ordos, China.

She has been in good form over the last year , having won two medals at the Continental Open and multiple top-8 finishes on the global circuit.

At Glasgow, she could be one of the dark horses to win a medal in her category, which also features the defending champion and world no.2 Aoife Coughlan of Australia.

Coughlan will be the favourite for the title, but there could be a big fight for the other medals between Judokas from England, New Zealand, and India.

Gulveer Singh - Athletics

Star long-distance runner Gulveer is set to make his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow, competing in both the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m events.

His season-best time of 13:03.93s currently ranks fourth this year in the 5,000m field for the Games, behind two Kenyans and Australia’s Ky Robinson.

He is also among the top five medal contenders in 10,000m in a strong field which includes Olympic medallist Edwin Kurgat of Kenya.

The 28-year-old will need to be at his absolute best to challenge these elite athletes for a podium finish, but given his consistent form over the last two years, he remains a big dark horse.

Jadumani Singh - Boxing

The 22-year-old boxer Jadumani Singh has been in impressive form since last year and currently stands as India’s top 55kg boxer after winning the National Championships.

A quarter-finalist at the previous World Championships, Jadumani heads into the Commonwealth Games as a strong medal contender.

His biggest threats in the category are Australia’s Jye Dixon and England’s Ellis Townbridge. He holds a 1-0 head-to-head record against Ellis, while he will face Jye for the first time in Glasgow.

Despite initial doubts surrounding his selection after switching from the 50kg to the 55kg category, Jadumani has the opportunity to prove himself by winning a medal.

Dev Meena & Kuldeep Kumar- Men's Pole Vault

Considered to be one of the weakest athletics events in India in the last two decades, the men's pole vault event could be the most surprising result in Glasgow.

Two Indians, Dev Meena and Kuldeep Kumar, have qualified for the event and have the potential to bag a medal if they could repeat or improve their personal best.

Dev Meena will start as the fourth-best pole vaulter of the year among the field, while Kuldeep will be 5th, but a solid performance from them can help them to topple the top three.

Two-time world medalist Kurtis Marschall of Australia will be the biggest name in men's pole vault, being the only 6m jumper, followed by Owen Heard (England) and Kyle Rademeyer (South Africa).

Others

Pooja Singh (High Jump): The teenage sensation has had a remarkable 2026, entering the elite list of 1.90m jumpers and breaking India's 14-year-old national record with a jump of 1.93m.

Arundhati Choudhary (Boxing): The recently crowned Asian Champion could prove to be a big surprise in Glasgow if she maintains her form and gets the better of her Australian and English rivals.