Indian judoka Yamini Mourya clinches silver at CWG 2026

Indian judoka Yamini Mourya fought her way to a hard-earned silver medal in the women's 57kg weight category at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Friday, July 31. Facing England’s Acelya Toprak in a highly competitive final, the 28-year-old athlete narrowly missed out on gold but added a crucial podium finish to India's growing tally in Glasgow.

Judo made its official debut at the Commonwealth Games in 1990, and India has steadily built a strong reputation in the sport over the decades. During the high-stakes final, both competitors showed incredible intensity from the opening bow. Toprak, who previously took silver at the 2022 edition, pushed for an early advantage to force her opponent onto the mat. Yamini displayed solid defensive skills to block the English athlete's groundwork, though the mounting pressure eventually resulted in a referee penalty for the Indian star. Toprak thought she broke the deadlock in regulation by rolling her opponent, but referees denied the points because the maneuver did not start from a standing position.

With the scoreboard completely blank, the contest moved into the sudden-death golden score period. Extra time delivered dramatic moments as both athletes battled exhaustion. Toprak nearly executed a sharp arm move but failed to finish it. After almost three minutes of grueling action, the relentless English judoka forced a decisive error and claimed the match by Ippon.

Winning this silver makes Yamini the third Indian to secure a judo medal at the 2026 Games. She joins Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh, who captured gold medals in the women’s 48kg and men’s 60kg events respectively.