Boxer Lovlina Borgohain secured India’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after she got a direct entry into the semi-final following a bye in the quarter-final. With the semifinal entry now secured, she is assured of at least a Bronze medal. She will face T.K.B.P Taafaki of Tuvalu in the women’s 75kg semi-finals at the CWG 2026 on July 31.
Why Lovlina Borgohain Was Given A Bye?
Lovlina got the bye as only five boxers were available in the quarter-finals. with limited number of athletes available, three boxers, including Borgohain, advanced straight to the last four. A win for Lovlina will put her in the gold medal bout, while a defeat would still give her a bronze medal.
India At CWG 2026
Meanwhile, India won 61 medals in the 2022 Birmingham Games, including 22 golds, but this tally is likely to come down at CWG 2026 as several categories were removed from the event. CWG 2026 was initially set to be hosted by Australia, but the country pulled out in 2023, and Glasgow stepped in. But they couldn’t stage a full-scale event. As a result, several sports like badminton, cricket, hockey, squash, table tennis, triathlon, wrestling, beach volleyball and rugby sevens are not part of the event. Out of the 61 medals India won in Birmingham, 30 came in categories that are not part of the 2026 event.
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This year, a total of 126 Indian athletes will compete across eight sports for able-bodied athletes, including athletics, boxing, weightlifting, judo, artistic gymnastics, track cycling, bowls and swimming, and five para disciplines – para-athletics, para-powerlifting, para-swimming, para-track cycling and 3×3 wheelchair basketball.
India’s Medal Prospects
India’s biggest medal hopes are in athletics, which is scheduled from July 27 to August 1. Neeraj Chopra would hope to bring a gold for India and could set up a clash with Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem in a blockbuster final. Chopra won the medal in 2018, but missed the last edition in Birmingham due to injury. Weightlifting is also expected to bring a medal for India, with Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu representing the country.