New Delhi [India], August 4 (ANI): Commonwealth Games 2026 gold medallist Soman Rana acquired a heat welcome on the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday morning because the Indian contingent returned house following a profitable marketing campaign on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The Indian Army havildar, who created historical past by successful India’s first-ever gold medal within the males’s F57 shot put on the Commonwealth Games, mentioned his focus has already shifted to the upcoming Asian Games and the Olympics.
Speaking after his arrival in Delhi, Soman informed ANI, ‘This medal just isn’t for me however for the nation, the military, my state. I’m feeling joyful. Paralympics are being improved loads as of late, whereas no one even knew about it earlier. I’m making ready for the Asian Games and Olympics, and I’ll win a medal for the nation there too.’
Soman capped a memorable marketing campaign in Glasgow by producing a greatest throw of 13.40m to clinch gold within the males’s F57 shot put ultimate, whereas compatriot Shubham Juyal secured silver with an effort of 13.28m, finishing India’s first-ever one-two end within the occasion on the Commonwealth Games.
The achievement additionally marked India’s maiden gold medal within the males’s F57 shot put on the Games and additional highlighted the nation’s rising energy in para athletics.
For the 43-year-old, the triumph was one other milestone in an inspiring sporting journey. Once one in all India’s main beginner boxers, Soman’s profession took a dramatic flip in December 2006 when he misplaced a leg in a landmine blast whereas serving with the Gorkha Rifles alongside the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
During his rehabilitation on the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune, he found para athletics earlier than becoming a member of the Army Paralympic Node in 2017. Since then, Soman has represented India on the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and constructed a formidable report that features a silver medal on the 2022 Asian Para Games and a bronze medal on the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.
Both Soman and Shubham have acquired help beneath the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which has offered monetary help for worldwide competitions, teaching camps, tools and coaching.
India concluded a memorable Commonwealth Games marketing campaign in Glasgow with 39 medals — 13 gold, 17 silver and 9 bronze — to complete fourth within the total standings. The contingent matched the fourth-place end achieved at Birmingham 2022 regardless of competing in a considerably diminished sports activities programme, with Ahmedabad now set to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games. (ANI)