India, Aug. 7 -- What are you aiming for, she was asked, at a Delhi press meet, two days before the Indian contingent left for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow.

"Gold," said Sharmila Dhankar, 39. "There's no other medal I want. Gold is what I'll go for."

No one paid much attention. There were stars of the para-athlete world here. Dhankar was an unknown entity.

I will now admit I was in the crowd that day and found the assertion a bit preposterous.

Dhankar had yet to win a major international medal. Her six-year career involved fourth-place finishes at the CWG in Birmingham (2022) and at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou (2023), and a fifth-place result at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi (2025).

"I don't both...