Commonwealth Games 2026: Neeraj Chopra Not Alone, Meet India's Other Gold Medal Prospects
A 126-member Indian athlete contingent will vie for medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, starting in Glasgow, Scotland, on Thursday.
A 126-member Indian athlete contingent will vie for medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, starting in Glasgow, Scotland, on Thursday. With no wrestling, badminton, hockey, or table tennis this time around, India will look to maximize medals from the disciplines in which they are competing. Four years ago in Birmingham, India finished fourth with 61 medals-a tally expected to drop noticeably due to the absence of those key sports. Despite that, India has named a strong squad for core events such as athletics, boxing, and weightlifting.
Let's take a look at India's top gold medal winning prospects at CWG 2026:
Neeraj Chopra (Javelin)
Star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra will headline a 32-member Indian athletics team for the Commonwealth Games. Recovering from a lower back injury, Chopra made a late start to the season at the Doha Diamond League, where he finished fourth with a throw of 85.69m. The Tokyo Olympics gold medallist missed the Games in Birmingham, but won the gold medal during the 2018 event in Gold Coast, Australia.
Mirabai Chanu (Weightlifting)
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will carry the Tricolour during the athletes' parade. India's Tokyo Olympics silver medallist heads to Glasgow as one of India's brightest medal hopes. The 31-year-old weightlifter is a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, having claimed gold medals at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022. She will compete in the women's 48kg category at Glasgow.
Lovlina Borgohain (Boxing)
Pugilist Lovlina Borgohain will be looking to win her maiden Commonwealth Games medal after missing out on the podium at both Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022. The 28-year-old, a former World and Asian champion, will compete in the women's 75kg boxing event.
Murali Sreeshankar (Long jump)
Four years after winning the silver medal in Birmingham, Murali Sreeshankar has emerged as one of the standout performers in Indian athletics. Last month, Sreeshankar produced a personal-best-equalling 8.38m effort at the Inter-State Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Lawn Bowls (Women's Fours and Men's Fours teams)
India's Lawn Bowls contingent scripted history at the Birmingham Games by securing two medals. The women's fours team won a landmark gold, while the men's fours team claimed silver.
(With Agency Inputs)
Lovlina Borgohain
Mirabai Chanu