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Para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar expressed immense joy after winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, saying his sole focus was to secure a medal for India.
Speaking to ANI after his medal-winning performance, Jhandu said he felt as if he was "flying" after securing the bronze, which marked his first major medal. "I feel as if I'm flying. This is my first medal. Only one thing was going through my mind: that I have to win the medal. Just have to win," Jhandu Kumar told ANI. The para powerlifter also expressed gratitude to his family, coaches and everyone who supported him throughout his journey. "I'm very grateful that they let me practice so much and gave me so much love. I feel very good. I'll try to do even better in the future," he said. Jhandu also thanked the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for their support and training facilities. "I'm extremely grateful to them. We practice there, and this medal belongs to them, in a way," he said. Jhandu secured the podium finish with a best successful lift of 190kg, earning 130.9 points. He began strongly by lifting 181kg in his first attempt for 124.7 points before improving his mark to 190kg in the second lift, which briefly moved him to the top of the standings. In his final attempt, Jhandu went for 196kg, which would have broken the Commonwealth Games meet record set at Birmingham 2022. However, he could not complete the lift and eventually finished with the bronze medal. Earlier, India's lightweight para powerlifters missed out on medals. Ashok finished fourth in the men's final with a personal-best 200kg lift, scoring 143.8 points, while Paramjeet Kumar took seventh with 176kg and 135.6 points. In the women's lightweight category, Jaspreet Kaur placed sixth after lifting 100kg for 96.4 points, while Suman Devi finished seventh with a best lift of 100kg and 88.4 points. Kasthuri Rajamani, meanwhile, failed to record a valid lift in the women's heavyweight final after all three of her attempts were unsuccessful. Jhandu's bronze marked India's first medal in para powerlifting at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. (ANI)
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