India are assured of their first medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games even before the contingent officially begins its campaign in Glasgow, with Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain guaranteed at least a bronze in the women’s 75kg boxing event.
The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist was handed a first-round bye in the five-boxer draw, automatically securing a place in the last four. Since both losing semifinalists are awarded bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games, the Assam boxer is guaranteed a podium finish before even stepping into the ring.
A Commonwealth Games medal was the only major accolade missing from Lovlina’s glittering résumé, which already includes an Olympic bronze, a World Championships title, and Asian Championships gold.
Lovlina will compete in her semifinal on July 31, where she will face TKBP Taafaki for a place in the gold medal bout.
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The assured medal, which comes hours before the opening ceremony at Glasgow’s Hydro, where Lovlina will serve as India’s baton bearer, provides the Indian contingent with an early morale boost.
Compared to the 2022 Birmingham Games, India have sent a much leaner contingent of 125 athletes after the Commonwealth Games Federation trimmed the programme to just 10 sports for the 2026 edition following financial constraints and a late change of host city.
With medal-rich disciplines such as badminton, hockey, wrestling and table tennis absent, India will rely heavily on athletics, boxing and weightlifting to extend their remarkable run of top-five finishes at the Commonwealth Games, a streak that dates back to 2002.
While Lovlina has already secured a medal, India boast several other podium contenders in boxing. Reigning 57kg world champion Jaismine Lamboria will look to improve on the bronze she won in Birmingham, while Asian champion Preeti Pawar (54kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (70kg) are among India’s strongest medal hopes in the women’s events.
The men’s campaign will be led by seasoned heavyweight Narender Berwal (+90kg) and World Cup medallist Sachin Siwach (60kg), both expected to challenge for podium finishes.
India’s campaign officially gets underway on Thursday with two lawn bowls ties before the opening ceremony later in the evening.
