Five Bhiwani boxers win five of India’s seven golds at Glasgow Commonwealth Games

Five boxers from Bhiwani were among the athletes who powered India to its best-ever boxing return at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday, August 2, 2026, as the country finished the tournament with ten medals in the sport.

For decades Bhiwani, roughly 100 km from Delhi, has been a prolific boxing centre often nicknamed the ‘Mini Cuba’ in India; the town gained international attention after Vijender Singh became the country’s first Olympic boxing medallist with a bronze at Beijing in 2008. The 2026 Glasgow edition saw that local tradition continue, with multiple fighters from the district on the podium and families in their villages preparing celebratory welcomes.

Four women from Bhiwani reached the podium in Glasgow: Sakshi Chaudhary (51 kg), Preeti Pawar (54 kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57 kg) and Priya Ghanghas (60 kg). The town’s male contribution included Sachin Siwach, who took gold in the 60 kg division.

India won seven gold medals in boxing overall; fellow Haryanvi Ankush Panghal claimed gold in the 80 kg category and Arundhati Choudhary of Rajasthan won the 70 kg title. The country’s boxers returned from Glasgow with a ten-medal haul in total.

Silver medallists included Narender Berwal (90+ kg) from Sorkhi village in Hansi, Jadumani Singh (55 kg) of Manipur and Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg) of Assam. The Boxing Federation of India celebrated the team on social media, posting: "Out of 14 boxers, 10 bring home medals, featuring an unprecedented seven Gold medal haul at the Commonwealth Games! Huge congratulations to India’s Magnificent Seven for making the nation proud!" and calling it "an "unprecedented single-edition haul in world sport.""

Jagdish Singh, coach of gold medallist Sakshi Chaudhary and head of the Bhiwani Boxing Club, attributed the record haul to changes in the selection process and spoke to The Hindu by phone about the shift. "For the last two years, selections were done without trials, based on five to seven parameters decided by coaches. It was like a teacher giving marks in class. Coaches got influenced by whether someone greeted them or had a good rapport. But in the ring, only punches matter," he said, adding that neutral, public trials with neutral judges were used this time. "Earlier, results were withheld, or there were just informal bouts with no declared outcome. Now the best is going through. Sakshi wouldn’t have made it under the old system," he said.

Back in Dhanana village, Priya Ghanghas’s family prepared to greet her home; her father, Mahendra, told reporters that her diet of "churma, kheer, curd and milk" had been important and urged other parents to support children in sport, saying: "Every parent should take a lesson from Priya: encourage your children to take up sports and work hard."

The performances drew political recognition in Haryana and beyond. Chief Minister Nayab Saini wrote: "Of 13 gold medallists overall, seven are from Haryana and two each from the State have won silver and bronze. This strength comes when youth stay away from drugs and their only addiction is to win medals." Congress MP Deepender Hooda posted on X: "Jai Bhiwani, Jai Maata Bhaarat."

Jagdish Singh said the transparent selection process would also benefit India at the upcoming Asian Games and the 2028 Olympics, linking the changes in selection to the country’s preparations for those events.