India enjoyed its greatest-ever day in Commonwealth Games judo on Friday as Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh ended.
the nation’s decades-long wait for a gold medal, while Yamini Mourya added a silver to complete a landmark campaign in Glasgow.
Before the 2026 Games, India had never won a Commonwealth Games judo gold despite claiming 11 medals—five silvers and six bronzes—since the sport was introduced at Auckland in 1990. That drought finally came to an end in remarkable fashion, with two Indian judokas standing atop the podium on the same day.
Asmita Dey Creates History
Asmita Dey etched her name into Indian sporting history by becoming the country’s first-ever Commonwealth Games judo champion after winning the women’s 48kg title.
Her victory came after an emotionally challenging year. Seven months before the Games, her father—a bicycle mechanic from Tripura who had worked tirelessly to support her career—passed away after suffering a brain stroke. The loss left the 23-year-old devastated, and she even considered walking away from the sport.
It was her mother who persuaded her to continue, urging her to pursue the dream her father had sacrificed so much for.
Asmita carried that determination into Glasgow. In the final against Canada’s Heidi Quach, she fought back after conceding an early yuko and receiving a shido penalty. The Indian equalised with a superb throw to force the contest into Golden Score before producing another decisive attack in overtime to score the winning yuko and clinch a memorable 2-1 victory.
Harsh Singh Delivers Second Gold
India’s celebrations continued soon after as Harsh Singh claimed the men’s 60kg title to complete a historic golden double.
Making his Commonwealth Games debut, the 23-year-old faced Australia’s Joshua Katz, an Olympian and Birmingham 2022 bronze medallist. Harsh remained composed throughout a closely fought contest before landing a crucial waza-ari with just 41 seconds remaining. He defended his advantage confidently until the end to pull off a famous upset and secure India’s second gold of the day.
Yamini Mourya Adds Silver
Yamini Mourya came close to making it three gold medals for India but eventually settled for silver in the women’s 57kg category.
The Indian matched England’s Acelya Toprak throughout regulation time, forcing the bout into Golden Score. After a gruelling seven-minute contest, Mourya received a third shido penalty for passivity in extra time, resulting in a disqualification and handing Toprak the gold medal.
With two historic gold medals and a silver on Friday, India registered its best-ever performance in Commonwealth Games judo. The campaign could improve further, with Unnati Sharma (women’s 63kg) and Karanjit Singh Mann (men’s 90kg) still in contention on Saturday.
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