Golden Wait Ends! Asmita Dey, Harsh Singh Create History with Judo Double

India’s judo contingent rewrote history at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday, ending a 36-year wait for the country’s first-ever gold medal in the sport.

Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh delivered a memorable golden double, while Yamini Mourya added a silver to cap India’s best-ever day in Commonwealth Games judo.

Before Friday, India had won 11 Commonwealth Games judo medals since the sport’s debut at Auckland 1990—five silvers and six bronzes—but had never reached the top step of the podium. That long-standing barrier was finally broken in spectacular fashion.

Asmita Dey’s Emotional Gold

Asmita Dey became the first Indian judoka to win Commonwealth Games gold after clinching the women’s 48kg title in a triumph that carried immense emotional significance.

The 23-year-old endured a heartbreaking personal loss seven months before the Games when her father, a bicycle mechanic from Tripura, died after suffering a brain stroke. Despite limited means, he had played a pivotal role in supporting her sporting career and stood by her during a serious knee injury that once threatened to end her journey.

Devastated by his death, Asmita briefly considered quitting judo. It was her mother’s encouragement that convinced her to return to training at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bhopal and continue chasing the dream her father had nurtured.

Those sacrifices culminated in a historic performance in Glasgow.

In the women’s 48kg final against Canada’s Heidi Quach, Asmita recovered after conceding an early yuko and receiving a shido penalty. She levelled the contest with a well-executed throw before the match entered Golden Score. Keeping her composure under pressure, the Indian produced the decisive attack in overtime to score the winning yuko and seal a dramatic 2-1 victory.

Harsh Singh Stuns Olympian

Soon after Asmita’s breakthrough, Harsh Singh ensured India celebrated a historic double gold by winning the men’s 60kg title.

The 23-year-old debutant faced Australia’s Joshua Katz, an Olympian and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. Harsh stayed patient throughout a tactical contest before producing the decisive moment with just 41 seconds remaining, scoring a match-winning waza-ari. He then defended confidently until the final whistle to complete one of the biggest victories of his career.

Yamini Mourya Claims Silver

India nearly completed a clean sweep of gold medals on the day before Yamini Mourya settled for silver in the women’s 57kg event.

The 28-year-old pushed England’s Acelya Toprak through four minutes of regulation before the contest entered Golden Score. After a gruelling seven-minute battle, Mourya received a third shido for passivity in extra time, resulting in a disqualification and handing Toprak the gold.

With two gold medals and one silver, India recorded its most successful Commonwealth Games campaign in judo, surpassing every previous edition. The contingent will now look to add to its tally as Unnati Sharma (63kg) and Karanjit Singh Mann (90kg) compete on Saturday.