Commonwealth Games 2026: Indian athletes who underperformed in Glasgow

India concluded its 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign in fourth place, securing a total of 39 medals from the 11-day sporting festival in Glasgow, Scotland.

Despite featuring only 10 sports, six of which included para events, India performed well in the competition, largely thanks to its boxing, judo, and para athletics contingents.

Although several athletes delivered surprise medals, particularly in athletics and judo, several others were unable to match the high expectations placed on them.

Here are a few athletes who failed to impress or underperformed at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games:

Gurindervir Singh - Athletics

Indian national record holder Gurindervir Singh carried high expectations from fans heading into the Commonwealth Games, but he failed to deliver.

After recently clocking a national record of 10.09s at the Senior National Federation Cup, many expected him to at least reach the semi-finals in Glasgow.

Instead, he produced a disappointing performance, managing only 10.39s in the preliminary round to finish 28th, with just 17 spots available.

This ranking looked much worse when we take into account that the top seven athletes had already received a direct bye into the semi-finals.

Pranati Nayak - Gymnastics

Star Indian gymnast Pranati Nayak, renowned for her strong vault performances, failed to impress in Glasgow and missed out on qualification for the women’s vault final.

The three-time Asian medallist suffered a poor landing on her first vault, scoring just 11.950. She was unable to make up the deficit with her second attempt, which was scored 12.800.

In contrast to her top-three finish in the qualification round at 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games (13.275), Nayak placed 11th this time with a combined score of 12.575.

Rajesh Ramesh - Athletics

Indian quarter-miler Rajesh Ramesh, who enjoyed a strong season throughout the year, was unable to repeat his form in Glasgow.

He clocked 47.43s in the preliminary round to finish 25th and miss out on the semi-finals. It was his ninth 400m race of the season and produced his slowest time of the year.

Known for his sharp relay performances, Ramesh also fell short in the mixed 4x400m relay, recording a 47-second split while running the third leg in the preliminary round.

Srihari Nataraj - Swimming

Srihari Nataraj, one of India’s leading backstroke specialists, competed in both the 50m and 100m backstroke events in Glasgow.

While he had successfully reached the finals of both events at the 2022 Birmingham Games, including a top five finish in the 50m backstroke final, he was unable to repeat that success this time.

At the 2026 edition, Nataraj exited in the semi-finals of both races, placing 11th in the 50m backstroke and 13th in the 100m backstroke event.

Aditya Pratap Yadav - Boxing

Although Indian boxers enjoyed their best-ever campaign in Glasgow, Aditya Pratap Yadav will be left ruing his failure to join them on the podium.

There were high expectations from the boxer, particularly after he defeated then-India No. 1 Abhinash Jamwal at the National Championships in Greater Noida.

However, he was unable to replicate that form and lost his bout at the pre-quarterfinals to Uganda’s Nuhu Batte, despite winning the opening round unanimously.