Commonwealth Games 2026: Indian atheletes shine on Day 9
India made history in athletics on the ninth day of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Neeraj Chopra – India’s poster boy of Javelin, won the silver medal in the javelin throw event, while Yashvir Singh, making his debut in the competition, secured the bronze medal.
Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage delivered a magnificent performance to win the gold medal with a best throw of 89.75m, achieved during his second attempt.
This evening at the 2026 Commonwealth Games was significant for Indians in many ways, with Indian athletes bagging multiple medals. Indian competitors shone across boxing, judo, and athletics. Neeraj Chopra finished second with his season’s best throw of 85.83m. The Olympic champion’s final attempt resulted in a foul—he immediately realized it wasn’t a clean throw—but his earlier effort was sufficient to secure the silver medal in his second Commonwealth Games appearance.
Although Chopra has always aimed for gold, his return to competition was positive, marked by another major international podium finish. Yashvir Singh provided the biggest surprise of the event, winning the bronze medal with a personal best throw of 85.41m in his sixth and final attempt. The 24-year-old, making his Commonwealth Games debut, surpassed his previous personal best of 83.72m and withstood stiff competition from renowned athletes such as Anderson Peters and Arshad Nadeem.
With Chopra and Yashvir finishing second and third, India achieved a historic double-podium finish in the men’s javelin throw event at the Commonwealth Games. This result further demonstrated India’s growing prowess in the discipline and added another major milestone to the country’s athletics campaign in Glasgow. Earlier, Harsh Singh won the gold medal in the men’s 60kg judo event, defeating Australia’s Joshua Katz via waza-ari (10-0) in a spectacular final.
Meanwhile, Asmita Dey secured the women’s gold medal with a composed and determined performance, achieving a historic victory by defeating Canada’s Heidi Quach via yuko (2-1). Indian athlete Tejaswin Shankar made history by winning a bronze medal in the decathlon event at the Commonwealth Games; he became the first Indian to win a medal in this discipline at this prestigious multi-sport event. Yamini Maurya won a silver medal in the women’s 57kg category, though she faced defeat in a close contest against England’s Acelya Toprak on Friday.
After winning the silver medal, Neeraj Chopra remarked that the moment brought back memories of the Asian Games, where both he and Kishore had won medals. “I am very happy today,” he said, adding that Yashveer had delivered an excellent performance and that sharing the podium with him felt wonderful. Chopra noted the immense joy of hearing the national anthem play and mentioned that he had also achieved a season-best performance. He stated that he is now focusing on upcoming competitions.
Meanwhile, Indian athlete Yashveer Singh expressed his happiness, noting that this was his first international medal. “Everyone supported me—my family, my parents, everyone. I am truly happy,” he said. He explained that things had started off a bit slowly; at one point, his throw was around 81.3 meters, while the mark for the bronze medal was 82 meters. “I told myself that I had already thrown 82 meters in this competition—my personal best—so I could certainly go beyond that.” Things hadn’t been going well up to the fifth throw, so for the final attempt, I just decided to give it a go and see what happened. That last throw turned out really well.
