India concluded its campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow with a fourth-place finish in the overall medal standings, capping an impressive turnaround after a slow start to the Games. The Indian contingent finished with 39 medals — 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze — holding off hosts Scotland to retain fourth place behind Australia, England and Canada.
There were no additions to India's medal tally on the final day as judoka Ishroop Narang narrowly missed out on bronze in the women's -78kg category, losing to Canada's Coralie Godbout in the bronze-medal bout after a hard-fought contest. India's remaining hopes also faded in track cycling, where Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam and the other cyclists finished outside the medal positions, bringing the campaign to a close.
Yet, the absence of medals on the final day could not overshadow what had been India's strongest day of the Games just 24 hours earlier. Saturday's extraordinary haul of 16 medals transformed India's fortunes, with the boxing team delivering one of the country's greatest performances at a multi-sport event. Indian boxers won seven gold and three silver medals, accounting for nearly half of the nation's gold medals in Glasgow and propelling India from the middle of the standings into fourth place.
India's success, however, was not limited to the boxing ring. Para athletes scripted history by winning seven medals — three gold, two silver and two bronze — the country's best-ever performance in para events at the Commonwealth Games. The achievement matched India's combined para medal tally from all previous editions and reflected the rapid growth of para sports in the country.
Athletics also contributed significantly to the medal count, while weightlifting once again emerged as one of India's most dependable disciplines. Across the 11-day competition, medals came from boxing, athletics, para athletics, weightlifting, para powerlifting and judo, highlighting a broader spread of success despite the reduced sports programme in Glasgow.
India's fourth-place finish gains greater significance considering the unique nature of the Glasgow Games. The 2026 edition featured only 10 core sports after a major restructuring of the Commonwealth Games programme, excluding traditional Indian medal-rich disciplines such as wrestling, badminton, table tennis, cricket, hockey and squash. Those omissions substantially reduced India's medal opportunities, making the final tally a creditable achievement.
The campaign also served as an important marker ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad, with the closing ceremony formally handing over the Games flag to India. The ceremony featured an Indian cultural segment led by singer Shankar Mahadevan alongside actor Rashmika Mandanna, symbolically shifting the Commonwealth movement's focus to Ahmedabad, which will host the Games for the first time.
While Australia once again dominated the medal table and England secured second place ahead of Canada, India left Glasgow with renewed confidence. A record-breaking boxing campaign, unprecedented success in para sports and a strong finish across multiple disciplines suggested that the country's sporting depth continues to expand as it prepares to welcome the Commonwealth Games to home soil in four years.
Follow us
