Asmita Dey won India’s first Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo on July 31, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland [1].
The victory marks a historic milestone for Indian combat sports and highlights the personal resilience of an athlete who overcame severe financial hardship and grief.
Dey, 23, secured the gold in the women’s 48 kg category [1]. She defeated Canada’s Heidi Quach in a final decided by a golden-score period [2].
Following the match, Dey spoke about the emotional weight of the win. She remembered her father, who died months before the games and had been her only supporter [3]. The loss was a devastating blow to the athlete's mental state and her outlook on her career.
"I felt that everything was over," Dey said [1].
Her father had worked as a cycle mechanic to support her training, earning only ₹300 per month [4]. This financial struggle underscores the scarcity of resources available to many elite athletes in India's grassroots sports systems.
"My father was the only one who supported me," Dey said [5].
While some reports indicate she dedicated the gold medal to her coach in addition to her father [6], the primary focus of her victory celebration remained the memory of her parent. She described the period following his death as a time of total collapse.
"Everything had finished after my father died," Dey said [7].
The win in Glasgow establishes Dey as a pioneer in Indian judo, providing a blueprint for future athletes in the discipline.
“"I felt that everything was over."”
Dey's victory is significant not only for the medal count but for the visibility of judo in India. By winning the first gold in the sport's CWG history, she may attract increased funding and institutional support for a discipline that has previously lacked the infrastructure of more popular Indian sports.
