Indian para-powerlifting coach Jitender Pal Singh expressed immense joy following Jhandu Kumar’s bronze medal victory at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, highlighting India’s ability to compete at the highest level.
Speaking to ANI after the event, Singh described para powerlifting as one of the toughest para sports and said a medal at the Commonwealth Games signals potential for Olympic success. “There can’t be more happiness than this. Para Powerlifting is the toughest among para sports, and winning a medal here means we can think of ourselves at the world level. These competitions are at a world level; winning a medal here means you are also a contender for a medal in the Olympics. There can’t be a tougher competition than this,” he stated.
Singh added that the team felt particularly relieved and pleased to secure a medal, noting India’s consistent success in para powerlifting at previous Commonwealth Games. “Winning a medal makes us very happy, a happiness that can’t be expressed in words. We were a bit scared because Para Powerlifting has always won medals in all Commonwealth Games. This was the last competition, so we were a bit scared inside that we might miss the medal,” he said.
Reflecting on Jhandu’s performance, Singh said the athlete had been in contention for gold but faltered on his final attempt. “At one point, we were contenders for gold, but the third lift got a bit messed up; that lift was touched. If that lift had been confirmed, we would have had a gold medal today,” he added.
Jhandu secured the bronze with a best successful lift of 190kg, earning 130.9 points. He began with 181kg (124.7 points) and improved to 190kg in his second attempt, briefly moving to the top of the standings. His final attempt at 196kg, which would have broken the Commonwealth Games meet record set in Birmingham 2022, was unsuccessful.
Earlier, India’s lightweight para powerlifters did not secure medals. Ashok finished fourth in the men’s final with a personal best of 200kg, scoring 143.8 points, while Paramjeet Kumar placed seventh with 176kg and 135.6 points.
In the women’s lightweight category, Jaspreet Kaur came sixth after lifting 100kg for 96.4 points, and Suman Devi was seventh with a best lift of 100kg and 88.4 points. Kasthuri Rajamani failed to record a valid lift in the women’s heavyweight final after three unsuccessful attempts.
Jhandu’s bronze represents India’s first para powerlifting medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
