Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 3 gets underway in Glasgow with India carrying two confirmed bronze medals into Saturday, and a schedule built around artistic gymnastics, boxing, lawn bowls, swimming and India’s opening 3×3 wheelchair basketball fixture. A quick numbering note: the Commonwealth Games Federation and most global outlets label Friday, July 24, as “Day 1” of competition since Thursday was largely the opening ceremony — but by the count many Indian outlets use, with July 23 as Day 1, today is Day 3.
India got its first two medals of Glasgow 2026 on Friday, and both came with a story attached.
Lovlina Borgohain became India’s first confirmed medallist of the Games without throwing a single punch . A direct bye into the women’s 75kg boxing semifinal guarantees her at least bronze under Commonwealth Games rules, since every losing semifinalist is awarded a podium finish.
Hours later, Jhandu Kumar delivered India’s first medal actually won on the field of play, taking bronze in the men’s heavyweight Para powerlifting final behind Nigeria’s Riluwan Idris (gold) and England’s Mathew Harding (silver) . A fitting result given the first-ever Glasgow 2026 medal was awarded in Para powerlifting.
It wasn’t a clean sweep, though. The men’s artistic gymnastics team of Tapan Mohanty, Swathish KP, Tapeshwarnath Das and Yogeshwar Singh finished seventh with a combined score of 208.550, missing the podium. Olympian Srihari Nataraj was eliminated in the 50m backstroke semifinals, finishing 11th overall, while Para swimmer RVVBK Budigina narrowly missed a medal with fourth place in the men’s S13 100m freestyle final. Powerlifters Jaspreet Kaur, Suman Devi and Kasthuri Rajamani also came away empty-handed in their respective lightweight and heavyweight finals.
On the lawn bowls green, Putul Sonowal produced the day’s biggest upset outside the medal events, beating world champion Ryan Bester in the men’s singles sectional round, while Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki kept their women’s pairs campaign unbeaten with a 2-0 win over South Africa.
India begins Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 3 with:
Both bronzes came from Lovlina Borgohain (boxing) and Jhandu Kumar (Para powerlifting). The broader country-by-country standings are still taking shape this early in the Games . Australia and England historically dominate the top of the table, having finished first and second respectively at Birmingham 2022 with 67 and 58 golds — and will fill in more clearly once more finals are decided over the weekend.
Saturday is expected to be a comparatively quieter day for India on paper, with most confirmed medal events dependent on athletes qualifying through to finals. The key fixtures:
Sachin Siwach is India’s only boxer in the ring today, having received early-round byes, in what’s expected to be one of India’s stronger medal sports through the Games.
The women’s artistic gymnastics team will be looking to go one better than the men’s seventh-place finish on Day 2. Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki — defending Fours champions from the last edition — remain one of India’s most consistent medal threats on the greens, while Putul Sonowal’s win over a world champion has quickly made him one of the feel-good stories of the early Games.
With badminton, wrestling and hockey absent from the Glasgow 2026 program, results like these matter more than usual — India’s medal hopes this cycle depend on consistent contributions across a wider spread of disciplines rather than a handful of traditional powerhouse sports.
Beyond today, the marquee athletics program at Scotstoun Stadium runs July 27 through August 1, headlined by Neeraj Chopra’s bid to reclaim the javelin title he won in 2018. Mirabai Chanu’s weightlifting campaign, in what could be her final Commonwealth Games, is another event to circle on the calendar as the competition moves into its second week.
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