India, July 25 -- For years, Jhandu Kumar's sporting ambitions had to coexist with a far more immediate concern: earning enough to keep his family going. There were vegetables to buy and sell, an e-rickshaw to drive, training expenses to somehow meet, and a body affected by childhood polio that he had already taught to compete rather than surrender.

On Friday in Glasgow, all of those years converged on a Commonwealth Games podium. Jhandu won bronze in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, producing a successful 190kg lift on his second attempt for 130.9 points. It was India's first medal of the Games and came by the narrowest of margins, with the 29-year-old finishing just 0.1 point behind England'...