Glasgow [Scotland], July 25: India kicked off its medal tally at the 2026 Commonwealth Games with Jhandu Kumar clinching a bronze in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event early Saturday (IST).

Jhandu achieved a podium finish by successfully lifting 190kg, which earned him a total of 130.9 points. He started strong, lifting 181kg in his first attempt, which garnered him 124.7 points, and then improved to 190kg in his second attempt, briefly placing him at the top of the leaderboard.

In his final attempt, Jhandu aimed for a lift of 196kg, which would have set a new Commonwealth Games record established at Birmingham 2022. Unfortunately, he was unable to complete this lift, resulting in a bronze medal finish.

Earlier in the competition, India's lightweight para powerlifters fell short of medal placements. Ashok finished fourth in the men’s final with a personal best lift of 200kg, scoring 143.8 points, while Paramjeet Kumar secured seventh place with a lift of 176kg and 135.6 points.

In the women’s lightweight category, Jaspreet Kaur came in sixth after lifting 100kg for 96.4 points, and Suman Devi also finished seventh with a best lift of 100kg, scoring 88.4 points.

Kasthuri Rajamani, on the other hand, was unable to record a valid lift in the women’s heavyweight final, as all three of her attempts were unsuccessful.

Jhandu's bronze medal marks India's inaugural achievement in para powerlifting at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.