Glasgow, July 31 -- India enjoyed one of its finest days at the Commonwealth Games on Friday as the country's judokas won their first ever gold medals while its boxers completed a clean sweep of semifinal victories to move within touching distance of multiple titles. Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh became India's first Commonwealth Games judo champions, Yamini Mourya added a silver to complete the nation's best ever campaign in the sport, and Arundhati Choudhary, world champion Jaismine Lamboria, Preeti Pawar, Ankush Panghal, Sakshi Chaudhary and Jadumani Singh all advanced to their respective boxing finals. The performances underlined India's growing strength in combat sports and kept the country's gold hopes alive heading into the final day.
India finished the judo competition with two gold and one silver medal, its best performance since the sport was introduced at the Commonwealth Games in 1990.
Before Friday, Indian judokas had won medals at every edition but had never claimed a title.
The breakthrough came through 23-year-old Asmita Dey, who became the first Indian judoka to win Commonwealth Games gold after defeating Canada's Heidi Quach in the women's 48kg final. Trailing after conceding an early yuko and a penalty, Asmita fought back to level the contest before scoring the decisive yuko in the golden score period to seal a memorable victory.
Minutes later, Harsh Singh added another chapter to Indian judo history by defeating Australia's experienced Joshua Katz in the men's 60kg final.
Locked in a tactical contest, Harsh produced a decisive waza ari with 41 seconds remaining and defended strongly to overcome the Birmingham Games bronze medallist and multiple Oceania champion. "Hearing the national anthem because of me is very special. I dedicate this medal to my mother," Harsh said after becoming India's first male Commonwealth Games judo champion.
India narrowly missed completing a clean sweep of the judo finals as Yamini Mourya settled for silver in the women's 57kg category after losing to England's Acelya Toprak in a hard-fought golden score contest.
Shraddha Kadubal Chopade and Rohit Basir Majgul, meanwhile, bowed out in their respective repechage bouts. For Asmita, the historic gold carried significance far beyond the medal itself.
The judoka from Belonia in South Tripura dedicated the triumph to her late father, a bicycle mechanic who earned around Rs 300 a day and continued supporting her sporting ambitions despite the family's financial struggles. Living in a modest mud house, the family had little to spare, but her father never allowed money to become a barrier to her career.
"When my father passed away, I thought everything was over because he was the one who always believed in me," Asmita said. Her father died of a brain stroke in December, leaving her devastated and unsure whether to continue competing. It was her coach and later her mother who persuaded her to return to training, reminding her that giving up would mean abandoning the dream they had all shared.
Asmita resumed training at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bhopal, where she rebuilt her confidence with support from coaches and officials.
She said the weeks before the Games were filled with anxiety and sleepless nights.
"I couldn't sleep before the competition. I kept thinking about the fights and telling myself I had to beat everyone," she said.
The sacrifices extended beyond training. She avoided sweets for a long period to maintain her competition weight, resisting the temptation of her favourite 'laung latta' waiting at home. While Indian judo celebrated a historic breakthrough, the country's boxers produced an equally commanding display by winning all six semifinal bouts to assure themselves of at least silver medals.
Arundhati Choudhary produced one of the biggest results of the day, upsetting defending champion Rosie Eccles of Wales 4-0 in the women's 70kg semifinal.
World champion Jaismine Lamboria also advanced comfortably in the women's 57kg category after her Lesotho opponent was stopped in the second round following a third standing count.
Jadumani Singh joined them in the finals with a unanimous 5-0 victory over Namibia's P.P.M. Haoseb in the men's 55kg semifinal. Preeti Pawar continued India's impressive run by outclassing Zambia's Catherine Mwape 5-0 in the women's 54kg semifinal to set up a title clash with Canada's Scarlett Delgado.
The Asian Games bronze medallist from Bhiwani dominated throughout, repeatedly catching Mwape with sharp counter attacks as the Zambian struggled to match her pace and accuracy.
"I executed the plans we made with my coaches and now I will give everything for gold," Preeti said, thanking the Sports Authority of India, the Boxing Federation of India, the Indian Army and JSW Sports for their support.
She also said the demanding schedule and weight management were part of elite boxing and would not distract her from chasing the title. Ankush Panghal completed India's perfect day in the ring with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Joshua Ofori in the men's 80kg semifinal.
"We analysed the opponent well and boxed from distance to avoid unnecessary risks," Ankush said.
Friday's results guaranteed India at least six silver medals in boxing, with all six finalists now in contention for gold.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.