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Indian judoka Asmita Dey clinched the women's -48kg gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after defeating Canada's Heidi Quach in a gripping final that went into Golden Score on Friday, according to ESPN.
Asmita prevailed by Yuko (2-1) with a composed and determined display, earning India's first judo gold medal of the Games. The final began as a closely contested affair, with both judokas engaged in intense grappling and repeatedly forcing each other towards the edge of the mat. Quach struck first midway through the contest with a throw to take the lead. The Indian responded strongly despite receiving a Shido penalty, producing a quick throw of her own to level the scores. Asmita grew in confidence as the bout progressed, launching several attacking moves while defending resolutely against Quach's attempts to regain the advantage, according to ESPN. With the scores tied at the end of regulation time, the contest entered Golden Score, where the first scoring action would decide the winner. Asmita held her nerve in the extra period and executed a well-timed throw near the edge of the mat to secure the decisive Yuko, dramatically sealing the gold medal. The victory capped an outstanding campaign for the Indian judoka, who had earlier overcome Scotland's Sumer Shaw in a hard-fought semifinal to book her place in the title clash. India has now so far won 18 medals at the Commonwealth Games 2026, comprising four gold, nine silver and five bronze. The gold medals have come through Mirabai Chanu (women's 48kg weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (women's shot put F57), Dilip Gavit (men's 100m T47) and now Asmita Dey. India have also claimed silver medals through Rishikanta Singh, Muthupandi Raja, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare, Valluri Ajaya Babu, Harjinder Kaur, Gulveer Singh, Murali Sreeshankar, Mohammed Basil and Lovepreet Singh, while bronze medals have been won by Jhandu Kumar, Bindyarani Devi, Shilpa K Shyla and Seema Kaliramna. (ANI)
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