Glasgow: India wrapped up its campaign at the Commonwealth Games 2026 with 39 medals, registering its lowest overall tally in nearly a quarter of a century. However, despite the reduced count, the Indian contingent delivered one of its most efficient performances in recent editions by securing fourth place in the overall standings under a significantly trimmed competition schedule.
India returned home with 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze medals, finishing behind Australia, England and Canada. The country edged past host nation Scotland in the medal table after both nations finished with 39 medals, with India taking fourth place on the basis of a higher silver-medal count.
Smaller Games Meant Fewer Medal Opportunities
Unlike previous editions, the Glasgow Games featured only 10 sports, a sharp reduction from the 19 disciplines contested at the Birmingham Games in 2022. The streamlined programme, introduced to reduce hosting costs, excluded several events that have traditionally contributed heavily to India’s medal tally.
Disciplines such as shooting, wrestling, badminton, table tennis and hockey—sports that have historically produced a large share of India’s Commonwealth medals—were absent this time. At the previous Games, these five sports alone accounted for 30 of India’s 61 medals, including 13 gold medals.
Despite losing many of its strongest medal prospects before the competition even began, India managed to remain among the top-performing nations by delivering standout performances in the events that remained.
Boxing Leads India’s Charge
India’s boxers emerged as the biggest contributors to the medal haul, producing one of the country’s finest-ever performances at the Commonwealth Games.
The boxing squad won 10 medals, including seven golds and three silvers. The women’s team dominated their respective categories, with Preeti Pawar, Jaismine Lamboria, Sakshi Chaudhary, Priya Ghanghas and Arundhati Choudhary all securing gold medals. In the men’s events, Sachin Siwach and Ankush Panghal also finished atop the podium.
Historic Success in Judo and Strong Showing in Athletics
India also celebrated a landmark achievement in judo, where Harsh Singh and Asmita Dey became the country’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medallists in the sport. Additional podium finishes by Yamini Mourya and Unnati Sharma made it India’s most successful judo campaign to date.
Athletics and para-athletics collectively contributed 16 medals. Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra claimed silver in the men’s javelin throw, while Gulveer Singh became the first Indian track athlete to win two medals in a single Commonwealth Games, securing silver in the 10,000 metres and bronze in the 5,000 metres.
Tejaswin Shankar added another milestone by winning India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in the decathlon.
Para-Athletes and Weightlifters Shine
India’s para-athletes also delivered an impressive performance, winning seven medals, including gold medals by Sharmila Dhankar, Dilip Mahadu Gavit and Soman Rana.
In weightlifting, Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu successfully defended her Commonwealth title, winning her third consecutive gold medal at the Games. The Indian weightlifting team finished with eight medals, comprising one gold, six silvers and one bronze.
Performance Better Than Medal Count Suggests
Although the final tally of 39 medals is India’s lowest since the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the outcome reflects the unique circumstances of this edition rather than a decline in performance.
With several of its strongest medal-winning sports excluded from the programme, India adapted by producing breakthrough results in disciplines where it had previously enjoyed limited success. The campaign not only secured another top-four finish but also highlighted the country’s growing depth across multiple sports beyond its traditional strengths.
