Commonwealth Games 2026: All you need to know about Dilip Gavit

Dilip Gavit is one of India’s top para sprinters and is currently ranked world No.1 this year in both Men’s 100m T46 and Men's 400m T46 categories.

The 23-year-old, who will make his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow, is primarily a 400m runner but has rapidly risen among the world’s best in the 100m.

Early Days

Hailing from Nashik, Maharashtra, Gavit has an amputated right hand below the elbow, which he lost after a bad fall from a tree in his village, but has never looked back.

He has been training with Nashik's athletics coach, Vaijnath Kale, since 2016, who found him during an interschool meet and was really impressed in their first meeting.

Kale took him under his wing, personally funding his training, accommodation, and expenses in the initial years because of his poor background.

A fierce competitor, Gavit initially refused to participate in para events and insisted on competing in a more competitive environment against able-bodied athletes.

His determination started giving results when he reached the 200m final of the Indian U18 able-bodied Championships, finishing just outside the podium in 4th place.

This performance earned him a spot in Maharashtra’s 4x100m relay team for the Khelo India Youth Games 2023, where the team won a bronze medal.

In a sport where precise baton exchanges are critical, completing the relay with just one hand was a tremendous achievement, raising the confidence of the teenager.

International Performance

In 2023, Dilip had his debut at the World Para Athletics Championships in Tokyo and was almost on the podium, finishing 4th in the 400m T47 category.

He might have missed out on the medal, but secured his place for the 2024 Paris Paralympics and India's squad for the Asian Para Games 2023.

His biggest breakthrough came in Hangzhou 2023, when he won the gold medal at the Asian Para Games in the men's 400m T47 category.

Then, in Paris, he qualified for the final on his debut Paralympics and was looking for his first Global medal, but in the final he couldn't produce his best and finished 8th.

His fight for a major medal continued in 2025 as he once again finished 4th at the world championships, despite producing a massive Asian record of 48.20s in heats.

Addition of 100m

This year, Dilip decided to add another event to his tally and started competing regularly in the 100m event, especially since the 400m is not included in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games programme.

He kicked off his 2026 season with a gold medal in the 100m T46 at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai, UAE, clocking 10.94s in the final.

He then steadily improved, recording 10.85s at the Senior Nationals before smashing the 100m T46 Asian Record with 10.64s at the Bengaluru Open Meet.

Now heading to Glasgow, he will aim to carry this momentum into his Commonwealth debut on 29 July and claim his first CWG medal.