Day 5 of the Commonwealth Games 2026, held on July 28 in Glasgow, was a steadier day for India compared to the previous day’s six-medal haul, but it still delivered two more silver medals and a historic first in athletics.
Weightlifter Harjinder Kaur produced a composed display in the women’s 69kg final, successfully completing all six of her lifts to win silver with a combined total of 227kg, made up of a 101kg snatch and a 126kg clean and jerk.
The bigger headline came from the athletics track, where Gulveer Singh created history by winning silver in the men’s 10,000m final, becoming the first Indian athlete ever to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the event. Competing in relentless rain, the reigning Asian champion stayed with the lead pack for most of the race before moving into podium position in the closing stages, finishing behind Australia’s Ky Robinson.
It was not all positive news in weightlifting, however. Nirupama Devi Seram finished outside the medals in the women’s 63kg final after failing to register a valid lift in the clean and jerk, ending India’s run of podium finishes in six of the seven weightlifting events contested up to that point.
Boxing continued to be a reliable source of guaranteed medals for India. Preeti Pawar, Priya Ghanghas, and Jadumani Singh all won their quarterfinal bouts to advance to the semifinals, each securing at least a bronze medal in the process. Parveen Hooda, however, lost her quarterfinal to England’s Sacha Hickey. In the pool, Srihari Nataraj’s campaign came to an end after a sixth-place finish in the semifinals of the men’s 100m backstroke, while teenage high jumper Pooja Singh narrowly missed out on the podium in her Commonwealth Games debut.
By the end of Day 5, India’s overall medal tally had risen to 12: two gold, seven silver, and three bronze. Despite the healthy medal count, India slipped to ninth position on the overall standings table as several smaller nations opened their own medal accounts for the first time at these Games, including Cameroon, Ghana, and Samoa.
With three more boxing medals already guaranteed heading into the semifinals, and the athletics programme building towards its biggest week, India’s campaign carried strong momentum into Day 6 of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.