After Commonwealth Games 2026 glory, Indian athletes shift focus to Asian Games 2026

Boxer Sachin Siwach with his gold medal at an event in New Delhi; Gold medal-winning India boxers boxers Jaismine Lamboria (left) and Arundhati Choudhary at IGI Airport in New Delhi on Tuesday; (right) Para sprinter Dilip Gavit with his 100m gold medal. Pics/PTI

India's Commonwealth Games medallists barely had time to celebrate their success before shifting their focus to next month's Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya as they returned to a rousing welcome in the national capital in the early hours of Tuesday.

"I trained for only three weeks before the Games after recovering from illness. Once I stepped into the ring, I forgot everything else and focused only on giving my best for India," boxer Jaismine Lamboria, who won gold, said moments after walking out of the IGI airport.

Jaismine added that the upcoming Asian Games and every tournament thereafter would be stepping stones towards her ultimate goal of winning an Olympic medal in Los Angeles in 2028.

Indian boxers capped a memorable CWG campaign with a 10-medal haul. The women's team led the charge with six medals, while the men contributed four. The para athletics contingent, too, scripted history with a record seven-medal haul as India stood fourth in the overall standings.

As the athletes emerged from the terminal around 4 am, dhol beats and patriotic tunes filled the air. Family members welcomed the medallists with flower garlands as supporters queued up for photographs.

Gold medallist boxer Sachin Siwach credited months of hard work for India's successful campaign. "The coaches identified our mistakes, and we worked hard on every weakness. That hard work is paying off now. The next target is Asian Games, and winning consistently gives every athlete the confidence to perform better," he said.

Gold medallist in men's 100m T47 category, Dilip Mahadu Gavit said adapting to the cold conditions was a real challenge. "It was my first time competing in the 100m at the Commonwealth Games, and I'm happy to have set a Games record. The weather made things difficult, but we had to adapt. My ultimate goal is to win Paralympic gold and raise the Indian flag on the highest stage," Gavit said.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever