India’s medal rush in Glasgow gathered remarkable momentum on Saturday.
Within a little over an hour, Indian athletes produced two double podium finishes in athletics, collecting four medals across two events and scripting history in para sport along the way.
The bigger moment came in the men’s F57 shot put, where Soman Rana won India’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold in the event while compatriot Shubham Juyal settled for silver, completing the country’s maiden one-two finish in the discipline.
Earlier, Praveen Chithravel and Selva Prabhu Thirumaran had combined for a silver and bronze in the men’s triple jump, continuing India’s rich tradition in the event.
The emotional high point belonged to Rana. The Indian Army havildar threw 13.40 metres to edge teammate Shubham Juyal, who finished with 13.28 metres, giving India both gold and silver in the men’s F57 shot put.
For Rana, the victory completed an extraordinary sporting journey.
Once among India’s leading amateur boxers, he lost a leg in a landmine blast while serving with the Gorkha Rifles along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir in 2006. Rehabilitation introduced him to para athletics, and nearly two decades later, he stood atop the Commonwealth Games podium after representing India at two Paralympics and winning medals at the Asian Para Games and World Championships.
Shubham Juyal’s road to the podium was equally inspiring. The Roorkee athlete had dreamt of joining the Army before a motorcycle accident in 2022 led to the amputation of his leg. During rehabilitation, he embraced para athletics, trained at the Army Paralympic Node and rapidly emerged as one of India’s brightest F57 talents. Together, the two Army athletes delivered one of India’s most memorable moments of the Games.
Earlier in the day, India’s triple jumpers ensured the athletics medal tally kept growing.
Praveen Chithravel fought back brilliantly after sitting fifth midway through the competition, producing a best leap of 16.58 metres on his fourth attempt to clinch the silver medal.
Selva Prabhu Thirumaran remained consistently among the leaders throughout the competition before sealing bronze with a best effort of 16.52 metres.
Their podium finish echoed India’s success in the event at Birmingham 2022 and reaffirmed the country’s growing depth in horizontal jumps. By the end of the session, India had collected four athletics medals across two events—a silver and bronze in the men’s triple jump, followed by a historic gold-silver finish in the men’s F57 shot put. It was one of India’s most dominant days in athletics at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.