Late Monday night turned into a bonanza for India, with Sharmila Dhankar winning gold. Sarvesh Anil Kushare and Valluri Ajaya Babu also bagged a silver medal.
There is no stopping the Indian contingent at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. One gold medal came India’s way on late Monday night, courtesy para shot putter Sharmila Dhankar. The other Indian, Shilpa K Shyla, came third in the competition with a throw of 7.26m, winning a bronze medal. India also won two silver medals through Sarvesh Anil Kushare and Valluri Ajaya Babu. Speaking of Kushare, he came second in the men’s high jump final with a best distance of 2.26m. On the other hand, weightlifter Ajaya Babu looked set for a gold in the men’s 79 category, but Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad pulled off a sensational clean and jerk performance to win the top prize.
Earlier in the day, India had won a silver and a bronze in weightlifting courtesy of Gyaneshwari Yadav and Bindyarani Devi. India’s medal tally now stands at 10, with six coming in weightlifting.
Late on Monday night, Sharmila won a gold in the women’s shot put F57 final. In her six attempts, the 40-year-old registered a throw of 9.81m, and no other opponent was able to better this distance.
Speaking of the men’s 79kg final in weightlifting, Ajaya Babu lifted 145kg in his first attempt in snatch. He failed to lift 149kg on his second attempt, but made up for it on his third. His best was recorded at 149kg in the snatch category, and hence he took a lead over the other opponents. He then recorded a best lift of 181kg in clean and jerk; however, he missed out on the gold medal by just 1 kg and had to settle for silver with a total lift of 330kg.
All you need to know about Ajaya Babu
Valluri Ajaya Babu first made a name for himself at the 2023 Khelo India Youth Games, where he won gold while setting a new national record. The achievement also opened the door to international competition, with Valluri representing India at prestigious events, including the Asian Weightlifting Championships.
The young weightlifter enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2024, announcing himself on the Commonwealth stage by winning gold in both the junior and senior divisions at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships. He added another international medal to his growing collection by securing silver at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships, reinforcing his status as one of India’s emerging stars.
He reached another milestone the following year at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad. Competing in the men’s 79kg category, Valluri dominated the field with a combined lift of 335kg, comprising 152kg in the snatch and 183kg in the clean and jerk.