Glasgow, July 24 -- India made an encouraging start to its 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign on Friday as Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain assured the country's first medal, swimmer Srihari Nataraj stormed into the men's 50m backstroke semi-finals, and two Indian para swimmers booked places in their event final, keeping hopes of an early medal rush alive.
Lovlina guaranteed India a podium finish without throwing a punch after receiving a bye into the women's boxing semi-finals. Under Commonwealth Games rules, both losing semi-finalists receive bronze medals, ensuring India opens its boxing campaign with at least one medal.
Olympian Srihari Nataraj also delivered a confident performance in the pool, clocking 25.52 seconds to qualify for ...