CWG 2026: India climbs medal table after Mirabai Chanu and weightlifters deliver big

India enjoyed its most productive day of the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Sunday, with Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu delivering a historic performance to claim the country's first gold medal of the Glasgow Games.

Competing in the women's 48kg category, Chanu secured her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold after earlier triumphs at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022. The feat made her the first Indian weightlifter to win three successive Commonwealth Games gold medals, further cementing her status as one of India's greatest weightlifting icons.

Her victory also opened India's gold medal account in Glasgow and provided the biggest boost to the country's campaign.

Weightlifting emerges as India's strongest medal-winning discipline

India's success did not end with Chanu.

The weightlifting contingent continued its impressive run as Chanambam Rishikanta Singh clinched silver in the men's 60kg category with a combined lift of 264kg, comprising 121kg in the snatch and 143kg in the clean and jerk.

Soon after, Raja Muthupandi added another silver in the men's 65kg event by lifting a total of 286kg, including 126kg in the snatch and 160kg in the clean and jerk.

With one gold and two silver medals, weightlifting accounted for all three of India's medals on Day 4, once again underlining its importance as one of the country's most consistent medal-producing sports at the Commonwealth Games.

Boxing campaign gathers momentum despite one setback

Indian boxers also produced encouraging performances as the knockout stages came into focus.

Preeti Pawar booked her place in the women's 54kg quarterfinals after defeating Malawi's Deborah Mtenje through Referee Stopped Contest (RSC).

Jadumani Singh kept India's medal hopes alive in the men's 55kg category with a dominant 5-0 unanimous decision over Pakistan's Sumama Rehman to reach the last eight.

The only disappointment came in the men’s 65kg division, where Aditya Pratap Yadav suffered a narrow 3-2 split-decision defeat against Uganda's Nuhu Batte in the Round of 16, marking India's first boxing loss of the Games.

Swimming team reaches final but misses podium

India’s men's 4x200m freestyle relay team also delivered a respectable performance.

The quartet of Srihari Nataraj, Aryan Nehra, Aneesh Gowda and Dhakshan Shashikumar qualified for the final after finishing third in the heats. However, the team was unable to challenge for a medal and eventually finished sixth in the final.

Although no medal followed, reaching the final reflected steady progress for Indian swimming on the Commonwealth stage.

Bowls, gymnastics and wheelchair basketball bring mixed fortunes

India's campaign witnessed setbacks in several other disciplines.

In lawn bowls, Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey were eliminated from the women's pairs competition after losing a tie-break to Namibia before suffering another defeat against England. Putul Sonowal also exited the men's singles event following a loss to Malta's Shaun James Parnis.

In artistic gymnastics, Tapan Mohanty finished 15th in the men's all-around final.

Meanwhile, India's women's 3x3 wheelchair basketball team lost 21-4 to hosts Scotland in their Pool B match.

What Day 4 means for India's campaign

Day 4 marked a significant turning point for India in Glasgow.

Mirabai Chanu's historic achievement not only delivered India's first gold medal of the Games but also highlighted the country's continued dominance in weightlifting. The additional silver medals from Rishikanta Singh and Raja Muthupandi strengthened India's medal tally, while encouraging performances in boxing suggested more podium finishes could follow in the coming days.

With athletics yet to begin and several medal events still ahead, India will look to build on the momentum generated by one of its strongest days of competition.

At the end of Day 4, India occupied eighth place in the medal standings with one gold, two silver and one bronze medal, while Australia led the table with 39 medals, including 17 gold, nine silver and 13 bronze.

(With inputs from ANI)