Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh Win India’s First-Ever Judo Gold Medals

India created history at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow as Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh became the country’s first-ever judokas to win gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. Their victories marked a major milestone for Indian judo and highlighted the steady progress of the sport on the international stage.

India’s First-Ever Commonwealth Games Judo Gold Medals

The Glasgow Commonwealth Games witnessed the biggest achievement in the history of Indian judo.

• Asmita Dey won the women’s 48 kg gold medal after defeating Heidi Quach of Canada in the final.
• Harsh Singh secured the men’s 60 kg gold medal by defeating Joshua Katz of Australia, an Olympian and one of the tournament favourites.
• Yamini Mourya added to India’s success by winning the silver medal in the women’s 57 kg category.

These victories gave India its first-ever gold medals in judo at the Commonwealth Games.

About Asmita Dey

Asmita Dey became the first Indian judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal after an outstanding performance in the women’s 48 kg category.

• She defeated Heidi Quach of Canada by Yuko (2-1) in the final after the match went into Golden Score, the tie-break period in judo.
• She made a strong comeback after trailing early and secured the winning point in Golden Score.
• She reached the final by defeating Eva Ewing of Scotland by Ippon in the quarter-finals and Summer Shaw of Scotland by Yuko in the semi-finals.
• The 23-year-old from Tripura started her sporting career as an 800-metre runner before switching to judo.
• She joined Tripura Sports School in 2015 and later trained at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Centre of Excellence, Bhopal.
• She has represented India in several international tournaments and has won medals at the Asian Open, Commonwealth Judo Championships, Junior Asian Championships, 2025 African Open (Casablanca) and the 2023 Junior Asia Cup (Macau).

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About Harsh Singh

Harsh Singh became the first Indian male judoka to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal after a brilliant performance in the men’s 60 kg category.

• He defeated Joshua Katz of Australia by Waza-ari (10-0) in the final to win the gold medal.
• Competing in his first Commonwealth Games, Harsh remained calm against the experienced Australian Olympian and secured the decisive score late in the contest.
• Before the winning move, both judokas were locked in a closely fought contest, with Harsh defending strongly against Katz’s attacks.
• Harsh has represented India in several international competitions, including the IJF World Tour, Tokyo Grand Slam, Asian Judo Championships and various IJF Grand Prix events.
• His Commonwealth Games gold medal is the biggest achievement of his career so far and marks a historic milestone for Indian judo.

Important Judo Terms

• Ippon: The highest score in judo, awarded for a perfect throw, submission or 20-second hold, resulting in an immediate victory.
• Waza-ari: The second-highest score, awarded for a near-perfect throw or a hold lasting 10-19 seconds. Two Waza-ari are equivalent to one Ippon.
• Yuko: A scoring technique used in the Commonwealth Games competition format for successful attacks that do not qualify for Waza-ari or Ippon.
• Shido: A penalty awarded for rule violations or passive play. Repeated penalties can influence the outcome of a contest.
• Golden Score: A sudden-death extra period played when the scores are level after regulation time. The first score or penalty determines the winner.

Significance

India’s historic success in judo reflects the steady improvement of the country’s high-performance sports ecosystem and the growing competitiveness of Indian athletes in combat sports.

• It marks India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medals in judo, creating a new milestone in the sport.
• The achievements strengthen India’s prospects in future international events, including the Asian Games, World Judo Championships and the Olympic Games.
• They also encourage greater participation in judo and reinforce India’s efforts to diversify its sporting success beyond traditional medal-winning disciplines.