India's medal tally at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2026 in Scotland's Glasgow continued to increase on Friday after judoka Harsh Singh won a gold for the country in men's 60 kg category. Singh defeated Australia's Joshua Katz to win this historic gold medal.
Notably, his victory came just moments after Asmita Dey won a gold medal in women's 48 kg category, defeating Canada's Heidi Quach. With Singh's victory, India's gold medal tally at the ongoing Commonwealth Games has increased to six.
23-year-old Singh faced a tough contest from Katz in the beginning, but, he struck decisively with just 41 seconds remaining on the clock. He executed a superb waza-ari -- the second-highest scoring technique in judo -- to take the lead, and then defended resolutely for the remainder of the four-minute bout to secure a memorable victory.
Singh's victory was a huge surprise, as Katz has a decorated resume and has won multiple Oceania Championships and Australian national titles. Katz had also won a bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Asmita Dey's historic win
Singh's victory came just shortly after Asmita Dey won India's first gold medal in Judo, which was introduced in the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games. Since its introduction, Indian judokas have won medals at all editions but never managed to secure a top-of-the-podium finish.
Dey, the 23-year-old judoka who hails from Tripura, won her medal against Canada's Heidi Quach in the 48 kg category. She was on the backfoot in initial stage of the game but staged a brilliant comeback despite conceding a yuko and then receiving a penalty.
She continued to attack her Canadian opponent with greater intent and launched a counterattack in sudden-death overtime to earn a yuko that helped her register his historic victory. The triumph capped an impressive campaign for the young judoka, who showed remarkable resilience to recover from an early deficit and outfight her Canadian opponent in a gripping final.
PM Modi congratulates Singh, Dey
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Singh and Dey, and said their victories is a proud moment for India.
"A golden performance indeed! Proud of Asmita Dey for winning a Gold in the Judo Women's 48KG Final! This performance will always be remembered and will contribute towards Judo becoming even more popular. Best wishes for her endeavours ahead," he said on X.
"Historic Day for Indian Judo! Congrats to Harsh Singh for winning a Gold. His passion and dedication are clearly reflected in the exceptional performance. Best wishes for the upcoming endeavours," he said in another post.
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