Sharmila Dhankar secures India’s first para-athletics gold at Commonwealth Games

Sharmila Dhankar won gold in the women's F57 shot put at the Commonwealth Games, delivering India's first-ever gold medal in para-athletics at the competition. She ended India's 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Commonwealth Games with that victory.

The triumph came in the women's F57 shot put event, where Dhankar finished atop the podium to register a milestone for Indian para-sport at the Games. This gold represents the first time India has claimed top honors in a para-athletics discipline at the Commonwealth Games. The result also closed a two-decade period without a para-athletics medal for the country at this event.

Dhankar’s performance produced the historic outcome, as she took the gold medal in the women's F57 shot put event. The achievement stands as India’s inaugural para-athletics gold at the Commonwealth Games and marks a significant interruption of the nation’s 20-year medal drought in para-athletics at the Games. The win will be recorded in the Commonwealth Games medal roll as a first for India in this category.

The victory in the women's F57 shot put event was the decisive factor in ending India’s long wait for a para-athletics medal at the Commonwealth Games. By winning gold, Dhankar not only secured a top podium finish but also registered a landmark entry for India in the para-athletics history of the Games. The outcome highlights the presence of Indian athletes in para-sport competition at the Commonwealth level.

Reports documenting the result were published on 2026-07-28, noting that Sharmila Dhankar’s gold is India’s first-ever in para-athletics at the Commonwealth Games. The published coverage emphasized the end of a 20-year gap without a para-athletics medal for India at this event. Dhankar’s name will be associated with that milestone in future references to India’s Commonwealth Games record.

The gold in the women's F57 shot put event therefore represents both an individual success for Sharmila Dhankar and a historic moment for Indian para-athletics at the Commonwealth Games. The win concluded a 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Games and added India’s first gold in the sport to its Commonwealth tally.