New Delhi [India], July 31 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Indian judokas Harsh Singh and Asmita Dey after their gold medal-winning performances at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, praising their dedication and saying their victories would help boost the popularity of judo in India.
While Harsh Singh clinched the men’s 60kg gold medal after defeating Australia’s Joshua Katz by Waza-Ari (10-0) in the final, Asmita defeated Canada’s Heidi Quach as she prevailed by Yuko (2-1) with a composed and determined display.
In an X post, PM Modi congratulated Harsh Singh on winning judo gold at CWG 2026, praising his dedication and exceptional performance while wishing him success for future endeavours.
“Historic Day for Indian Judo! Congrats to Harsh Singh for winning a Gold. His passion and dedication are clearly reflected in the exceptional performance. Best wishes for the upcoming endeavours.”
In another X post, PM Modi congratulated Asmita Dey on winning the judo gold medal, praising her performance and saying it would help popularise the sport in India. He also wished her success for future endeavours.
“A golden performance indeed! Proud of Asmita Dey for winning a Gold in the Judo Women’s 48KG Final! This performance will always be remembered and will contribute towards Judo becoming even more popular. Best wishes for her endeavours ahead,” PM Modi said.
Harsh produced a disciplined display to secure India’s second judo gold medal of the Games after Asmita Dey’s gold medal-winning performance in the 48kg judo earlier in the day.
Katz began the final aggressively, looking to seize an early advantage, but Harsh defended resolutely and denied the Australian any scoring opportunities. Both judokas exchanged attacks during the opening stages, with neither able to gain a decisive edge.
The Australian came close to pinning Harsh at one stage, but the Indian escaped the hold before immediately launching a counterattack of his own. Despite the flurry of action, neither judoka managed to register a score for much of the contest.
At the 3:19 mark, Harsh delivered the decisive moment of the final. He executed a perfectly timed throw before pinning Katz to earn a Waza-Ari, which proved enough to secure the victory and the Commonwealth Games title.
Meanwhile, Asmita’s final bout began as a closely contested affair, with both judokas engaged in intense grappling and repeatedly forcing each other towards the edge of the mat. Quach struck first midway through the contest with a throw to take the lead.
The Indian responded strongly despite receiving a Shido penalty, producing a quick throw of her own to level the scores. Asmita grew in confidence as the bout progressed, launching several attacking moves while defending resolutely against Quach’s attempts to regain the advantage, according to ESPN.
With the scores tied at the end of regulation time, the contest entered Golden Score, where the first scoring action would decide the winner.
Asmita held her nerve in the extra period and executed a well-timed throw near the edge of the mat to secure the decisive Yuko, dramatically sealing the gold medal.
The gold medal victories took India’s overall gold tally at the Games to five. The country has now secured 19 medals in Glasgow, including five gold, nine silver and five bronze.
India’s gold medallists are Mirabai Chanu (women’s 48kg weightlifting), Sharmila Dhankar (women’s shot put F57), Dilip Gavit (men’s 100m T47), Asmita Dey (women’s 48kg judo) and Harsh Singh (men’s 60kg judo). The country’s silver medals have come through Rishikanta Singh, Muthupandi Raja, Gyaneshwari Yadav, Sarvesh Kushare, Valluri Ajaya Babu, Harjinder Kaur, Gulveer Singh, Murali Sreeshankar, Mohammed Basil and Lovepreet Singh, while bronze medals have been won by Jhandu Kumar, Bindyarani Devi, Shilpa K Shyla and Seema Kaliramna. (ANI)
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