India won their first-ever Commonwealth Games golds in Judo, plus a silver, on the first day of action on the mat at Glasgow 2026.
Asmita Dey (pictured) launched the Indian medal spree in the lightest weight category, the Women’s -48kg, beating Heidi Quach (CAN) in a tight contest decided by a second Yuku in the Golden Score period.
Dey was in no doubt she would prevail. “I have never felt that any competitor of mine is stronger than me,” she said.
“I knew that I’m a champion and I was sure that I was going to take a gold medal for my country. This is my first Commonwealth Games and I’ve won a gold, so it’s a very big thing for me.”
India did not have long to wait for their second gold, with Harsh Singh beating 2022 bronze medallist Joshua Katz (AUS) in the Men’s -60kg final.
It capped a superb comeback for Singh, who has struggled to get back to form following a knee injury.
“I worked really hard for this moment,” the 23-year-old said. “For one year I had to do rehab, building my strength back and preparing mentally so I could come back. I’m very happy and excited to win gold here.”
“More medals are coming.”
Singh said the whole Indian squad were inspired to perform in Glasgow due to the fact the 2030 Commonwealth Games will be in Amdavad.
“I am sure India will host a wonderful Commonwealth Games in 2030,” he said. “It is one of the reasons why we came here so well prepared. We didn’t win a gold in Judo before, but more medals are coming.”
‘I’m a bit knackered now’
There was a third medal for India, but Yamini Mourya couldn’t quite match her two team-mates, taking silver in the Women’s -57kg, as gold went to England’s Acelya Toprak after a punishing final that extended into the Golden Score period.
Toprak briefly competed under the Azerbaijan flag of her parents’ heritage in 2024, before returning to the England fold last year, upgrading her silver from Birmingham 2022 to gold at Glasgow 2026.
“I’m really happy it wasn’t a silver again,” the London-born judoka said. “I’m a bit knackered now, but I’m happy it’s done and I’ve performed well. Everything just came together.”
Canada were the other big winners on the opening day, matching India’s tally, including two golds – one for Evelyn Beaton in the Women’s -52kg and the other for Julien Frascadore, who dethroned defending champion Georgios Balarjishvili of Cyprus in the Men’s -66kg final.
“We fight often on the circuit, so I knew it was going to be tough and it would take a lot of energy to win,” Frascadore said. “At the end, when I saw the opportunity and I was able to capitalise on it, I was so happy. It was a relief that it could finally end.”
Balarjishvili believed the outcome might have been different had he not suffered a torn knee ligament in his quarter-final win.
“I think it was costly in the final,” he said. “It went to Golden Score, it was a close fight, so without that injury, in my opinion I would have won gold.”
Cyprus nevertheless ended the day with two silvers and a bronze.
“We’re a small island, but our spirit and our desire are bigger than those of many other countries,” said Sofia Asvesta (CYP), who took silver in the Women’s -52kg category.
“We don’t have all the facilities and conditions that some countries have, but we support each other, we understand the hard work we need to put in and our spirit sometimes makes the difference.”
