Para Sports
Commonwealth Games 2026: All you need to know about Rakeshbhai Bhatt
The 25-year-old Para athlete will make his Commonwealth Games debut in Glasgow on 27th July.
Para Sprinter Rakeshbhai Bhatt. (Photo Credits: Rakesh Bhatt/IG)
Rakeshbhai Bhatt is one of India’s most promising rising stars in Para Athletics, having qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in the men’s 100m T38 event.
The 25-year-old sprinter, who has cerebral palsy and usually competes in the T37 category, will participate in the combined T37-38 category in Glasgow.
Early Days
Rakesh belongs to a farmer's family and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in his childhood, but he never looked at his restrictions and always showed grit and courage.
His sports journey began when his school PT teacher encouraged him to take up para athletics. He took the opportunity with both hands and emerged as one of India’s finest para sprinters.
Hailing from Bhavnagar, Gujarat, Rakesh has been training in Ahmedabad and steadily climbing the domestic ranks in both long jump and the sprint races.
In 2022, he won the Indian senior nationals and qualified for the 2023 Asian Para Games in long jump, where he finished 4th with a leap of 5.68m.
He continued his momentum and won multiple medals on the domestic circuit, including two gold medals at the 2023 Khelo India Para Games.
Road to Glasgow
His continuous rise on the domestic circuit helped him to qualify for the 2025 World Championships in New Delhi, where he reached the final with a National Record time of 11.62s.
In the final, he couldn't improve his timing and finished seventh with 11.88s, but earned a lot of confidence from a commendable outing at the debut.
He has since won multiple international medals on the World Athletics Grand Prix circuit, including the 100 & 200m gold medals at the New Delhi Grand Prix 2026.
He also won the 2026 National Championships in Bhubneshwar and later the Para Athletics International Meet in Bangalore to confirm his place in the team.
He now heads to Glasgow, hoping to win his first major international medal, though he faces a tough field that includes former Paralympic champion Thomas Young of England.
Although he's the highest-ranked Commonwealth athlete in the T37 category, this combined T37-38 final will offer a completely new challenge for him.