Team India has made a promising start to the Commonwealth Games 2026, with Indian athletes delivering impressive performances on the opening day.
In para swimming, Karthik Budigina finished 3rd in the Men’s 100m Freestyle S10 heats, clocking an excellent 57.10 seconds. Even more encouraging, all eight Indian para swimmers qualified for their respective finals, which will be held tonight from 12:00 AM (IST). India will now be hoping to convert these strong performances into medals.
Meanwhile, in swimming, Srihari Natraj also impressed by qualifying for the Men’s 50m Backstroke semi-finals. He clocked 25.52 seconds to finish 14th overall in the heats, comfortably making the top 16. His semi-final is scheduled for 12:29 AM (IST).
India has already opened its medal account after Olympic medallist Lovlina Borgohain received a bye into the boxing semi-finals, guaranteeing at least a bronze medal—the country’s first medal of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
With Karthik Budigina, Srihari Natraj, and eight Indian para swimmers in action tonight, fans will be hoping India’s medal tally continues to grow. The Games have started on a positive note, and it will be exciting to see how Team India performs in the coming days.
Let’s cheer for our athletes and wish them the very best!