"Great pride to nation": VP Radhakrishnan hails Gulveer, Harjinder's CWG 2026 silver
New Delhi, July 29
Vice-President CP Radhakrishnan congratulated Indian athletes Harjinder Kaur and Gulveer Singh on winning silver medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026, praising their outstanding performances and saying they had brought pride to the nation.
In a post shared on X, the Vice-President congratulated Harjinder Kaur for winning silver in the women's 69kg weightlifting event and Gulveer Singh for securing silver in the men's 10,000m race.
"Many congratulations to Harjinder Kaur on winning the Silver Medal in the Women's 69kg Weightlifting event and to Gulveer Singh on securing the Silver Medal in the Men's 10,000m race at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026," the post read.
Radhakrishnan said the athletes' performances would inspire young athletes across the country, while highlighting Gulveer's historic achievement as India's first Commonwealth Games medallist in the men's 10,000m event.
"Your outstanding performances have brought great pride to the nation. Harjinder's determination and Gulveer's historic feat as India's first Commonwealth Games medallist in the men's 10,000m event will inspire countless young athletes. Wishing you both continued success and many more milestones in the years to come," it added.
India enjoyed another productive day at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Tuesday, with Gulveer Singh creating history by winning the country's first-ever medal in the men's 10,000m and Harjinder Kaur clinching silver in weightlifting, while three Indian boxers stormed into the semifinals to assure the nation of at least three more medals.
Gulveer emerged as the star of the day, producing a remarkable performance to claim silver in the men's 10,000m. The Army athlete clocked 27:49.78, staying with the lead pack throughout before producing a blistering final-lap sprint to finish behind Australia's Ky Robinson. His silver ended India's long wait for a medal in the event, marking the country's first-ever podium finish in the men's 10,000m at the Commonwealth Games.
Harjinder Kaur opened India's account on Day 6 with a silver medal in the women's 69kg weightlifting event. The Punjab lifter finished with a career-best total of 227kg, including 101kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk, to finish behind Canada's Charlotte Simoneau. Harjinder also enjoyed a memorable outing by rewriting the Commonwealth Games snatch record twice before eventually improving on the bronze medal she had won at the Birmingham 2022 Games.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Harjinder Kaur is a true inspiration! From bronze in Birmingham 2022 to silver in Glasgow 2026, and breaking the CWG snatch record twice – what a journey. So proud of our Punjab athletes putting India on the map. The Army background of both athletes shows the dedication our sports system can produce when support is there.
Great achievements, but let's not get carried away – both are silvers, not gold. We need to focus on converting these into golds in future editions. Also, why is the VP only commenting on these two when our boxers have also assured medals? Some consistency needed in recognition from top officials. 🤔
As an Indian living abroad, this makes me so emotional. Seeing Gulveer's 27:49 for the 10k is a world-class time. For context, that would have placed him 5th in the Tokyo Olympics heats. We're genuinely improving in running events beyond just the 800m/1500m. India's athletics future looks bright! 🏃♂️
While I'm happy for both athletes, I wish the VP would also acknowledge the grassroots efforts. These medals don't happen in isolation – it's the result of years of training, often without proper facilities. Harjinder from Punjab and Gulveer from the Army – both from backgrounds where sporting infrastructure needs improvement. Hope this inspires better investment in sports in rural areas.
Lovely to see India doing well at the Commonwealth Games! Harjinder's 101kg snatch is impressive – she's clearly improved since
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