Asmita Dey, Harsh Singh make history as India’s first gold medallists in judo at Commonwealth Games
India's Asmita Dey produced a spirited comeback to clinch the women's 48kg judo gold medal, defeating Canada's Heidi Quach in a dramatic golden score contest
India's Asmita Dey produced a spirited comeback to clinch the women's 48kg judo gold medal, defeating Canada's Heidi Quach in a dramatic golden score contest at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Friday (July 31, 2026). The 23-year-old from Tripura found herself on the back foot early in the final after conceding a yuko and then receiving a penalty, allowing Quach to take control of the bout. However, Asmita responded brilliantly, attacking with greater intent and levelling the scores at 1-1 shortly after the midway stage of the four-minute contest. Neither judoka could find the decisive score during regulation time despite a series of intense exchanges, forcing the match into the Golden Score period, where the first scoring action determines the winner.
Maintaining her composure under pressure, Asmita launched a decisive attack in sudden-death overtime and earned another yuko to seal a memorable victory and hand India the gold medal. The triumph capped an impressive campaign for the young judoka, who showed remarkable resilience to recover from an early deficit and outfight her Canadian opponent in a gripping final. Harsh pips vastly experienced Australian judoka for historic men’s -60kg gold India’s Harsh Singh clinched a historic gold at the Commonwealth Games as he became the first male judoka from the country to win the title, pulling off an upset win over Australia’s vastly experienced Joshua Katz in the men’s -60kg final on Friday (July 31, 2026).
The 23-year-old, competing in his maiden Commonwealth Games, claimed the biggest title of his career with a composed and tactically astute performance against the Australian Olympian, who was widely regarded as the favourite for the gold. After a closely fought contest in which neither judoka was able to establish a clear advantage, Harsh struck decisively with just 41 seconds remaining on the clock. He executed a superb waza-ari — the second-highest scoring technique in judo — to take the lead, and then defended resolutely for the remainder of the four-minute bout to secure a memorable victory. The result was a major surprise considering Katz’s decorated résume. The 28-year-old has won multiple Oceania Championships and Australian national titles, represented Australia at the Olympics and claimed a bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Unfazed by his opponent’s pedigree, Harsh remained composed throughout the contest, refusing to be overawed by the occasion. His decisive waza-ari ultimately proved enough to seal the Australian’s fate and deliver India its second judo gold of the day. Katz also comes from a distinguished judo family, with both his parents being former judokas, while his father has served as Australia’s national judo coach at previous Olympic Games. That only added to the significance of Harsh’s breakthrough triumph, which stands as the finest achievement of his young career.
The BriefWire