The breakthrough came in the women’s U48kg category, where Asmita Dey made history by defeating Canada’s Heidi Quach in a closely contested final. After the contest moved into Golden Score, Dey secured victory with a second yuko, giving India its first Commonwealth judo title.
The 22-year-old never doubted the outcome. “I have never felt that any competitor is stronger than me,” Dey said afterwards. “I knew I was going to win gold for my country. This is my first Commonwealth Games, so this means a lot.”
India’s celebrations had barely subsided before Harsh Singh delivered another historic moment in the men’s U60kg category. The 23-year-old defeated Australia’s Joshua Katz, who had claimed bronze four years ago in Birmingham, to secure India’s second gold medal of the day. The victory marked a remarkable comeback after a lengthy rehabilitation from a serious knee injury. “I worked really hard for this moment,” Singh explained. “I spent a year rebuilding my strength and preparing mentally. Winning gold here makes everything worthwhile.”
Singh also believes the prospect of India staging the next Commonwealth Games in 2030 has inspired the entire squad. “We came here extremely well prepared because we know the next Games will be in India. This is only the beginning. More medals will come.”
India almost completed a golden hat-trick. Yamini Mourya reached the women’s U57kg final before eventually taking silver after an exhausting Golden Score battle against England’s Acelya Toprak.
For Toprak, the victory completed an impressive return. After briefly competing internationally for Azerbaijan in 2024, the London-born judoka returned to represent England and upgraded the Commonwealth silver she won in Birmingham to gold in Glasgow. “I’m just happy it wasn’t silver again,” Toprak smiled afterwards. “I’m a bit exhausted now, but everything came together today.”
Canada matched India’s gold medal tally thanks to victories from Evelyn Beaton in the women’s U52kg division and Julien Frascadore in the men’s U66kg category.
Frascadore produced one of the day’s biggest victories by dethroning defending Commonwealth champion Georgios Balarjishvili of Cyprus in a tense final. “We know each other very well from the international circuit,” Frascadore said. “I knew it would be a difficult match. When the opportunity finally came, I was relieved to finish it.”
Balarjishvili later revealed he had torn a knee ligament during his quarter-final victory, believing the injury ultimately prevented him from defending his title.
Despite that disappointment, Cyprus still enjoyed an excellent opening day, collecting two silver medals and one bronze. Silver medallist Sofia Asvesta highlighted the determination that continues to drive the island nation’s success. “We’re a small country, but our spirit is bigger than many others,” she said. “We don’t always have the same facilities as larger nations, but we work hard together and that spirit often makes the difference.”
With five weight categories completed, India leaves the opening day at the top of the headlines. After waiting until Glasgow 2026 for its first Commonwealth judo gold medal, the nation suddenly has two champions and every reason to believe more success could follow as the tournament continues.
