Commonwealth Games 2026: India's sport-wise medal hopefuls – Neeraj, Mirabai, and more

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are less than a week away, and several Indian athletes have already arrived in Glasgow to begin their final training and acclimatisation ahead of the event.

India will send a strong 125-athlete contingent to the Games, set to march at the opening ceremony on 23rd July, ahead of a gruelling 10-day medal hunt.

Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra returns to the Commonwealth Games after skipping the previous edition, hoping to add another medal to his 2018 gold.

Meanwhile, three-time reigning medalist Mirabai Chanu will be the big favourite for her third Commonwealth Games gold medal in weightlifting.

India will target a strong medal haul in Glasgow, primarily depending on strong performances in Weightlifting, Boxing, and Athletics, with additional contributions expected from Judo and Para Athletics.

Here, The Bridge predicts the Indian medal tally in Glasgow, with a detailed sport-wise breakdown:

Athletics: 5-7 medals

India is sending a 32-member athletics team, the largest contingent among all sports, to compete in 22 medal events, headlined by stars Neeraj Chopra, Murali Sreeshankar, and Praveen Chithravel.

While athletics is one of the toughest disciplines at the Games, with powerhouses like Jamaica, England, Kenya, and Canada dominating the track, India’s best chances lie in field events.

However, Gulveer Singh (10,000m) and Parul Chaudhary (3000m steeplechase) could have an outside chance on the track if they can challenge the strong Kenyan and Ugandan runners. Last edition, Avinash Sable had stunned the men's 3000m steeplechase field to finish on the podium.

In the field events, India's biggest medal hopes will be in jumps: High Jump (Sarvesh Kushare), Long Jump (Murali Sreeshankar), and Triple Jump (Praveen Chithravel).

India has sent multiple athletes in all three events and can also target gold medals if they find their best in a fierce battle with some top-class Jamaican jumpers.

Alongside that, the marquee event to watch will be the men’s javelin final, featuring India's star athlete, two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra.

But he will be up against a world-class finals field, having reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem (PAK), reigning world champion Keshorn Walcott (T&T), two-time world champion Anderson Peters (GRN), Julius Yego (KEN), and world lead Rumesh Pathirage (SRI).

Overall, India should be able to win 5-7 medals from athletics, and could even exceed expectations with two gold medals, but they need to be at their best to win any of these medals.

Boxing: 10-11 Medals

India has sent its full-strength 14-member boxing squad, featuring reigning World Champion Jaismine Lamboria and former Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain in boxing. They'll compete in all 14 weight categories.

As only a few top boxing nations are part of the Commonwealth Games, India is expected to medal in double digits, with a strong haul in the women's section.

In five of the seven weight categories in women's boxing, India will start as the favourites, being the highest-ranked Commonwealth Nation in the World Boxing Rankings.

However, they will still need to deliver their best form to overcome strong boxers from Northern Ireland, Australia and England in the quest for gold.

Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Jaismine Lamboria (57kg) will start as the outright favourites for gold, while the others will aim to join them on the podium.

Weightlifting: 9-10 Medals

Former Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu will lead India’s 12-member weightlifting squad, which includes seven women and five men.

Chanu is the outright favourite for gold in the women’s 48kg category, boasting a significantly better personal best than her remaining competitors.

Alongside her, Gyaneshwari Yadav (53kg) and Raja Muthupandi (65kg) will also eye a gold medal but will need their best to topple their Nigerian and Malaysian rivals respectively.

The rest of the team will also be aiming for a few podium finishes, but they will most likely need new personal bests to challenge for the top spot.

Judo: 4-5 medals

Indian judokas have consistently reached the podium at the Commonwealth Games and will aiming to continue that streak at Glasgow 2026.

The 14-member Indian judo team is targeting its best-ever medal haul and also its first-ever gold medal in this sport at the Games.

Reigning silver medallist Tulika Mann (heavyweight) and Asmita Dey (48Kg) could be the strongest contenders to end India’s search for gold.

Meanwhile, the rising stars Inunganbi Takhellambam (women’s 70kg) and Ishroop Narang (Women's 78kg) will also be eyeing podium finishes.

Para Athletics: 4-5 Medals

India has sent an 11-member Para Athletics squad to the Glasgow Games, competing in six different disciplines, led by reigning world medallist Soman Rana.

Soman is India’s strongest gold medal hope. Along with Subham Juyal, he will compete in the Men’s Shot Put F57, where India is targeting a double podium finish.

India will also look for medals in the other field events: Men’s Discus Throw F44 (Devender Kumar & Sagar Thayat) and Women’s Shot Put F57 (Sharmila & Shilpa).

On the track, all eyes will be on rising star Dilip Gavit in the Men’s 100m T47 event, who recently won the gold medal at the Dubai Grand Prix with a time of 10.94s.

Para Powerlifting: 1-2 Medals

India will field seven para powerlifters in Glasgow, competing across four weight categories: Men’s & Women’s Lightweight and Men’s & Women’s Heavyweight.

The strongest medal hopes rest on Ashok and Paramjeet Kumar in the Men’s Lightweight, and Sudhir in the Men’s Heavyweight.

However, challenging for gold will be tough, as they face strong competition from powerhouse Nigeria, along with Malaysia and England.