CWG 2026: Unnati Sharma wins women's 63kg judo bronze in Glasgow
Synopsis
Unnati Sharma's bronze in the women's 63kg judo at CWG 2026 is more than a podium finish — it is the capstone of a four-medal judo sweep for India in Glasgow. A judoka who started training simply to lose weight, she has now claimed India's most significant senior judo result on the Commonwealth stage.
Key Takeaways
Unnati Sharma won bronze in the women's 63kg judo event at CWG 2026 in Glasgow on 1 August , defeating South Africa's Skye Knoester .
India's judo tally at the Games reached four medals — two golds ( Asmita Dey , Harsh Singh ), one silver ( Yamini Mourya ), and one bronze.
Harsh Tokas missed a fifth medal, losing to Australia's Keishin Ochi by Ippon in the men's 81kg bronze bout.
Unnati beat Eswatini's Lamulela Magagula in 1 min 39 sec in the Round of 16 and New Zealand's Qona Christie in the quarterfinals.
The Uttarakhand judoka's international wins include gold at the 2026 Dakar Africa Open and bronze at the 2025 Hong Kong Asia Open .
Unnati Sharma claimed a bronze medal in the women's 63kg judo event at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Saturday, 1 August, defeating South Africa's Skye Knoester in the third-place playoff after a semifinal exit. The podium finish lifted India's judo medal tally at the Games to four.
India's Judo Medal Haul at CWG 2026
The bronze adds to an already impressive collective showing by the Indian judo contingent. Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh had earlier claimed gold medals, while Yamini Mourya secured a silver — a haul that underlines India's growing authority in the discipline on the Commonwealth stage. Notably, this is among the strongest judo performances India has delivered at a Commonwealth Games.
However, India missed out on a fifth medal when Harsh Tokas fell to Australia's Keishin Ochi by Ippon (100-0) in the men's 81kg bronze medal bout.
Unnati's Route to the Podium
Unnati entered the competition with intent. In the Round of 16, she dispatched Eswatini's Lamulela Magagula in just one minute and 39 seconds via ippon, executing two successive waza-aris in a clinical display. She carried that momentum into the quarterfinals, where she overcame New Zealand's Qona Christie with a yuko followed by a decisive waza-ari.
A semifinal defeat interrupted her run at the gold, but Unnati regrouped quickly. Back on the mat for the bronze medal contest, she produced a disciplined and composed performance to see off Knoester and secure her place on the podium.
The Making of a Commonwealth Medallist
Unnati's journey to Glasgow is one of the more compelling backstories of India's CWG squad. The Uttarakhand judoka initially walked into a local training centre with the modest aim of losing weight. Two years of foundational work convinced her family to formally back her career in 2019 — a decision that has since paid dividends at both the junior and senior levels.
She has since represented Uttarakhand at the National Games and has been a regular fixture in India's junior and senior international squads. Her recent international résumé includes a gold at the 2026 Dakar Africa Open, bronze at the 2025 Hong Kong Asia Open, gold at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Open, and top-seven finishes at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open and the 2023 Junior Asian Championships.
What This Medal Means
The bronze at Glasgow is Unnati's most significant senior international result to date, coming on the sport's biggest multi-discipline stage within the Commonwealth. Her ability to reset after a semifinal setback and deliver under pressure points to a mental resilience that will be critical as she targets higher-ranked events on the IJF circuit. India's judo programme, buoyed by four medals at CWG 2026, will look to build on this momentum heading into the Asian Games cycle.
Point of View
From a weight-loss routine to a CWG podium, is precisely the kind of grassroots-to-glory arc that India's sports system needs to replicate at scale. The miss by Harsh Tokas in the men's 81kg is a reminder that converting bronze-match appearances into medals remains a persistent challenge. If India's judo programme can address that final-round composure gap, a gold-heavy haul at the next Asian Games is a realistic target.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What medal did Unnati Sharma win at CWG 2026?
Unnati Sharma won the bronze medal in the women's 63kg judo event at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on 1 August, defeating South Africa's Skye Knoester in the third-place playoff. It is her most significant senior international result to date.
How many medals did India win in judo at CWG 2026?
India won four judo medals at CWG 2026 — gold medals for Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh, a silver for Yamini Mourya, and a bronze for Unnati Sharma. Harsh Tokas narrowly missed a fifth medal in the men's 81kg event.
How did Unnati Sharma perform in earlier rounds before winning the bronze?
Unnati defeated Eswatini's Lamulela Magagula by ippon in just one minute and 39 seconds in the Round of 16, then beat New Zealand's Qona Christie in the quarterfinals with a yuko and a waza-ari. She suffered a semifinal loss before regrouping to claim bronze.
Who is Unnati Sharma and where is she from?
Unnati Sharma is a judoka from Uttarakhand who began training at a local centre with the aim of losing weight before turning professional in 2019. She has since competed for Uttarakhand at the National Games and has been a regular member of India's junior and senior international squads.
What are Unnati Sharma's notable international results before CWG 2026?
Unnati won gold at the 2026 Dakar Africa Open and the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Open, and bronze at the 2025 Hong Kong Asia Open. She also recorded top-seven finishes at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open and the 2023 Junior Asian Championships.
