CWG 2026 Day 3: No medals for India, but Sachin Siwach strikes and Rupa-Pinki remain unbeaten | Commonwealth Games News
NEW DELHI: India enjoyed another productive day at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Saturday, with boxer Sachin Siwach advancing to the pre-quarterfinals and the women’s lawn bowls pair of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh extending their unbeaten run to stay firmly on course for the semifinals.A day after para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar opened India’s medal account with a bronze medal, Indian athletes produced a series of encouraging performances across boxing, lawn bowls and gymnastics, although there were disappointments in swimming and wheelchair basketball.With the Olympic silver medalist In Mirabai Chan set to begin its title defense on Sunday, India will be looking to build on the positive momentum.
Boxing: Sachin Siwach clears the opening hurdle
One of India’s brightest medal hopes in boxing, Sachin Siwach, survived a stiff challenge from Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh to advance to the men’s 60kg pre-quarterfinals.
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The 26-year-old won 4-1 in a split decision in the round of 32 at Glasgow’s SEC Center, overcoming an opponent he had beaten twice before.“It will be a tough fight but I have beaten him twice before so I am quite confident,” Sachin said. “It’s important for me to beat him now because it’s at the Commonwealth Games.”Siwach will next face William Hewitt of England in the round of 16.
India’s Pinki Singh, left, and Rupa Rani Tirkey. (PTI photo)
Lawn bowls: Rupa-Pinki remain unbeaten, Sonowal suffer first defeat
The Indian women’s pairs combination of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh continued their impressive campaign with a third straight win in Section B.The Birmingham 2022 gold medalists beat Tonga 2-0 in a tie-break after splitting two sets, strengthening their chances of reaching the semifinals.The Indians won the first set 5-2 before Tonga bounced back to take the second 6-4. Rupa and Pinki, however, held their nerve in the tie-break to secure the win.The Indian duo now share three wins from three matches in England but trail the latter in sets won. They will face Namibia in their fourth sectional match this Sunday.There was disappointment in the men’s singles, where Putul Sonowal suffered his first loss of the campaign.The Assam Police officer lost 0-2 (4-8, 8-9) to Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple despite putting up a spirited fight in the second set after trailing 5-9.Sonowal, who stunned reigning world champion Ryan Bester in his opening match and followed it up with another emphatic win, remains second in the Section D standings ahead of his clash with Malta’s Shaun James Parnis.
Artistic gymnastics: India finished fifth in Subdivision 3
India’s artistic gymnastics team of Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshita Rewale and Protistha Samanta completed their qualification campaign with a combined score of 29.850 in the floor exercise.The quartet finished with a total tally of 123,000 points after four apparatuses to place fifth after Subdivision 3 in the women’s team and individual qualification competition.The gymnasts first competed on the vault, uneven bars and balance beam before concluding their campaign on the floor.
Swimming: Indian duo miss out on 400m freestyle final
India’s challenge in the pool ended early as Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra failed to advance in the men’s 400m freestyle final.Shashikumar clocked 3:58.09 to finish 15th overall out of 27 swimmers, while Nehra placed 16th in 4:00.26.Although Shashikumar was seventh in the middle of his heat, he could not maintain the pace needed to qualify.
Wheelchair basketball: Wales beat India
India endured another tough outing in the women’s wheelchair basketball competition, suffering a comprehensive 1-16 loss to Wales in their Group B fixture.The Indian team struggled to cope with Wales’ intensity throughout the match, converting only one of their 12 scoring attempts as their opponents dominated from start to finish.
Mirabai Chanu headlines Sunday hopes in India
Attention now shifts to the weightlifting arena, where Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu is expected to launch her Commonwealth Games campaign and begin the defense of her title.India entered the competition despite a disrupted build-up after its weightlifting squad was reduced from 16 to 11 following multiple doping violations, with Dilbag Singh (96kg) the latest lifter to be withdrawn.Despite the setbacks, India remains one of the strongest weightlifting nations at the Commonwealth Games, and Mirabai is expected to lead another medal-winning day as the country looks to add to Jhandu Kumar’s historic bronze haul.
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