Sreeshankar’s Silver and Comeback
Murali Sreeshankar secured his second consecutive silver medal in the men’s long jump at the Commonwealth Games 2026, achieving a best effort of 8.09m. This marks a significant return for the 27-year-old athlete, who faced a career-threatening ruptured patellar tendon injury in April 2024. His performance makes him the first Indian to win two medals in Commonwealth Games long jump history.
Sreeshankar opened his competition with a jump of 8.03m, placing him third initially. He then improved to 8.09m, briefly taking the lead. However, Tajay Gayle of Jamaica ultimately claimed the gold medal with a jump of 8.15m, while Stephen McKenzie of Scotland earned the bronze with 8.08m. Another Indian athlete, Lokesh Sathyanathan, finished fifth with a best jump of 7.97m.
The silver medal adds to Sreeshankar’s previous silver from the 2022 Games. His consistent form this year includes several jumps over 8m, with a season’s best of 8.38m recorded at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar. His father and coach, S Murali, embraced him after the final attempt, highlighting the emotional journey of his comeback.
Para Athletics and Boxing Success
India also achieved a historic one-two finish in para athletics in the men’s 100m T47 event. Dilip Mahadu Gavit won the gold medal, setting a Games record time of 10.71 seconds. Mohammed Basil Morssinganakathi secured the silver medal with a season-best time of 10.83 seconds.
In boxing, India guaranteed 10 medals by having six more athletes reach the semifinals, adding to four who had already secured their spots. The boxers advancing to the last four include Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg), Arundhati Choudhary (70kg), Sachin Siwach (60kg), Ankush Panghal (80kg), Narender Berwal (+90kg), and world champion Jaismine Lamboria (57kg). They join Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Priya Ghanghas (60kg), Preeti Pawar (54kg), and Jadumani Singh (55kg). This performance surpasses India’s boxing medal count from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where the team won seven medals.
Other Indian Performances
India’s overall medal tally reached 15 medals, comprising three gold, nine silver, and three bronze, placing the country eighth in the standings. Other gold medals were secured by Mirabai Chanu in the women’s 48kg weightlifting title and Sharmila Dhankar in the women’s shot put F57 event.
On the track, Yashas Palaksha and Santhosh K Tamilarasan qualified for the men’s 400m hurdles final. Santhosh finished third in Heat 2 with a time of 49.51 seconds, and Yashas placed third in Heat 1 in 49.65 seconds, both advancing as the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers.
In field events, Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill qualified for the men’s shot put final. Toor achieved an automatic qualification with a throw of 20.14m, while Gill’s best throw of 19.95m was sufficient to qualify among the top 12. However, Manpreet Singh narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth in the women’s shot put final with a throw of 17.49m.
National record holder Animesh Kujur qualified for the men’s 200m semifinals, winning Heat 4 in 20.46 seconds and finishing seventh overall to make it to the last 16. Meanwhile, India faced setbacks in weightlifting, with Sanjana failing to finish the women’s 77kg event, and in swimming, where Sajan Prakash and Aneesh S Gowda did not qualify for the men’s 200m freestyle final.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
