Commonwealth Games 2026: Can India finally win it's first gold medal in judo?

The Commonwealth Games 2026 are set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, from July 23 to August 2.

The 2026 edition will feature only 10 sports after the original host, the Australian state of Victoria, withdrew from hosting the Games in 2023 due to financial concerns.

Glasgow later stepped in to host a smaller and more cost-effective edition of the Games, with judo among the sports retained for the competition.

Judo made its demonstration debut at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh before becoming a medal sport at the 1990 Auckland Games.

However, the sport was not included in every edition and was dropped several times before becoming a permanent core sport at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

India has competed in judo at every Commonwealth Games, and has won 11 medals to date, including 5 silver and 6 bronze medals.

The country's best performance came at the 2014 Glasgow Games, where Indian judokas won four medals (2 silver and 2 bronze).

India is currently ranked 10th in the all-time Commonwealth Games judo medal table and will look to improve its medal tally in Glasgow 2026 with its first-ever gold medal in judo.

Indian squad for the Glasgow Games 2026

Women: Asmita Dey (48kg), Shraddha Kadubal Chopade (52kg), Yamini Mourya (57kg), Unnati Sharma (63kg), Inunganbi Takhellambam (70kg), Ishroop Narang (78kg), and Tulika Maan (+78kg)

Men: Harsh Singh (60kg), Rohit Basir Majgul (66kg), Arun Kumar (73kg), Harsh Tokas (81kg), Karanjit Maan (90kg), Avtar Singh (100kg), and Yash Ghangas (+100kg)

India's journey in Commonwealth Games in Judo

India's journey in judo in the games began at the 1990 Auckland Games, where the country won two bronze medals in its very first appearance.

Narender Singh won a bronze medal in the men's 60kg category after sharing the podium with James Charles of Wales, and Rajinder Kumar Dhanger also secured a bronze medal in the men's 86kg category.

After a gap of more than a decade, Indian judokas returned to the podium at the 2002 Manchester Games.

Akram Shah became the first Indian judoka to win a Commonwealth Games silver medal after finishing runner-up in the men's 60kg category, and Bhupinder Singh added another medal by winning a bronze medal in the men's 66kg category.

India's best campaign

The 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow remain India's best-ever judo campaign.

India won four medals, including two silver and two bronze medals. Navjot Chana won a silver medal in the men's 60kg category after reaching the final.

Sushila Likmabam created history by becoming the first Indian woman judoka to win a Commonwealth Games silver medal in the women's 48kg category.

Kalpana Devi and Rajwinder Kaur completed India's medal haul by winning bronze medals in the women's 52kg and 78kg categories, respectively.

The Glasgow Games also marked the rise of Indian women in Commonwealth Games judo.

India continued its strong performances at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham by winning three more medals.

Sushila Devi Likmabam claimed her second Commonwealth Games silver medal after finishing runner-up in the women's 48kg category.

Tulika Maan added another silver medal in the women's +78kg category, and Vijay Kumar Yadav secured a bronze medal in the men's 60kg category.

Other members of the team, including Jasleen Singh Saini, Suchika Tariyal and Deepak Deswal, also reached medal matches but narrowly missed out on podium finishes.

Recent performances of the squad

India heads to Glasgow with a squad that has delivered strong performances across international and national competitions, giving the team plenty of experience ahead of the games.

In the women's team, Asmita Dey claimed a gold medal at the 2025 Casablanca African Open and also competed at the 2026 Asian Senior Championships.

Shraddha Kadubal Chopade finished in the top five at the 2024 Asian Junior Championships and the 2025 Senior Asian Championships. She also won the gold medal at the 2025 Gold Coast Oceania Open.

Yamini Mourya has had an impressive performance at international events by winning gold at the 2025 Kowloon Asian Open, silver at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open, and another gold at the 2026 African Open in Dakar.

Inunganbi Takhellambam created history by winning a bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Judo Championships, ending India's 13-year medal drought at the continental meet. She also won gold at the 2025 Amman Asian Open.

Ishroop Narang recently won a bronze medal at the 2026 Tashkent Junior Asian Cup and a silver medal at the 2025 Junior Asian Championships in Jakarta before qualifying for the games.

Tulika Maan brings valuable experience to the Indian squad as a 2022 Commonwealth Games silver medallist and a 2024 Paris Olympian.

She won a gold medal at the National Games in Uttarakhand, and also represented India at the 2025 World Championships and the 2026 Asian Championships.

Among the men's judokas, Arun Kumar won the gold medal at the 2025 Asian Open in Taipei and followed it up with a bronze medal at the 2025 Asian Open in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

Avtar Singh also heads into the Games in good form after winning a silver medal at the 2025 Asian Open in Hong Kong, while Rohit Basir Majgul had won a gold medal at the 2025 Senior National Championship.

With several members of the squad coming into the games with medal-winning performances, India will be hoping they can carry that form into Glasgow and challenge for the country's first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo.