India scripted a golden chapter in its sporting history at the Commonwealth Games 2026, as judokas Asmita Dey (48kg) and Harsh Singh (60kg) won the country’s first-ever CWG gold medals in judo, in Glasgow, Scotland. The historic feat came after days without a single gold for India at the Games, making the double triumph on the judo mat all the more special.
Harsh Singh delivered the second gold of the day in the 60kg category, defeating seasoned Australian judoka Joshua Katz in the final. The victory came by way of a commanding waza-ari, with Harsh dominating the bout 10-0. In doing so, Harsh became the first male judoka from India to ever win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
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What makes the win even more remarkable is that this was Harsh’s maiden Commonwealth Games appearance, and yet the 23-year-old delivered a composed, tactically sharp performance against an opponent who came into the final as the clear favourite. Joshua Katz was a two-time Olympian and a bronze medallist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which made Harsh’s dominant victory all the more impressive for a debutant on the big stage.
Harsh’s gold came just moments after his teammate Asmita Dey became the first Indian judoka in history to win a Commonwealth Games gold, beating Canada’s Heidi Quach in a tightly fought women’s -48kg final decided in the Golden Score period. Asmita, the daughter of a bicycle repair shop owner from Belonia, Tripura, had actually started out as an 800m runner before a coach spotted her potential and introduced her to judo — a journey that makes her gold medal an equally inspiring story.
Together, the two athletes rewrote the record books for Indian judo. Before Glasgow 2026, India had won a total of eleven medals in judo at the Commonwealth Games — five silver and six bronze — but had never once reached the top of the podium. Although judo has been a part of the Commonwealth Games programme since 1990, India had to wait until 2026 to finally claim its first-ever gold in the sport.
The celebrations didn’t stop there. Later the same day, Yamini Mourya added a silver medal for India in the women’s -57kg category, narrowly losing to England’s Acelya Toprak in a contest that also went into extra time. The judo mat clearly turned into one of India’s most fruitful arenas at the 2026 Games, contributing significantly to the country’s overall medal tally on what turned out to be a landmark day for Indian sport.
Harsh Singh’s victory is being hailed as a defining moment for the sport in India, especially given that judo has historically remained overshadowed by more mainstream disciplines like wrestling, boxing, and athletics. His performance is expected to inspire a new wave of young athletes across the country to take up judo more seriously, with hopes that this historic gold marks the beginning of sustained success for India on the international judo circuit.