Army contingent wins 16 of India’s 39 medals, accounting for 41% of national tally
New Delhi/Glasgow: Indian Army athletes emerged as the backbone of India’s impressive campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, contributing a staggering 16 of the country’s 39 medals and reaffirming the Armed Forces’ pivotal role in nurturing elite sporting talent.
Of the 20 Army sportspersons who represented India, 16 returned with medals—an extraordinary 80 per cent success rate. Their haul comprised eight gold, seven silver and one bronze medal, accounting for nearly 41 per cent of India’s overall medal tally.
The Army’s dominance was most evident in boxing, where its athletes powered India to a historic campaign. Six of India’s seven boxing gold medals and two of the three silver medals came from Army boxers, helping the country script one of its finest-ever performances in the sport.
The gold medallists included Havildar Harsh (Judo, 60kg), Naib Subedar Preeti (Boxing, 54kg), Naib Subedar Jaismine (Boxing, 57kg), Subedar Soman Rana (Para Shot Put), Havildar Sakshi (Boxing, 51kg), Havildar Arundhati (Boxing, 70kg), Havildar Sachin (Boxing, 60kg) and Havildar Ankush (Boxing, 80kg).
The silver medal winners were Naib Subedar Sarvesh Kushare (High Jump), Naib Subedar Gulveer Singh (10,000m), Havildar Ajaya Babu (Weightlifting), Honorary Lieutenant Colonel Neeraj Chopra (Javelin Throw), Havildar Jadumani (Boxing), Lance Naik Shubham Juyal (Para Shot Put) and Subedar Narender (+90kg Boxing).
Naib Subedar Gulveer Singh also clinched a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000 metres, becoming the first Indian athlete to win two medals in athletics at a single Commonwealth Games edition.
The Glasgow Games also witnessed several historic milestones achieved by Army athletes. Naib Subedar Sarvesh Kushare secured India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games silver medal in the high jump, while Havildar Harsh became the country’s first Commonwealth Games gold medallist in judo.
India also achieved a historic one-two finish in the Para Shot Put, with Subedar Soman Rana winning gold and Lance Naik Shubham Juyal claiming silver—the nation’s first-ever gold and silver combination in the event at the Commonwealth Games.
Weightlifter Havildar Ajaya Babu set a new Commonwealth Games record with a 149kg snatch and a total lift of 330kg in the 79kg category, underlining the Army’s strength across disciplines.
In another significant achievement, India had two athletes—Subedar Santosh T and Havildar Yashas—qualify for the final of the men’s 400m hurdles for the first time in Commonwealth Games history.
Perhaps the most remarkable feat came in boxing, where India’s seven gold medals established a new benchmark for the competition. It surpassed England’s long-standing record of six boxing gold medals at a single Commonwealth Games edition, a mark that had stood since 1934 and was later equalled in 2018.
The performance once again highlighted the Indian Army’s world-class sports ecosystem, which has consistently produced Olympians, world champions and Commonwealth Games medallists. Through its structured training programmes, coaching support and sporting infrastructure, the Army continues to be one of the country’s most successful talent nurseries.
With Army athletes contributing nearly half of India’s medals in Glasgow, their performance not only strengthened the national medal tally but also underscored the crucial role the Armed Forces play in India’s emergence as a global sporting powerhouse.
