CWG: India's Yamini Maurya wins judo silver medal in 57kg
What's the story
Indian judoka Yamini Maurya has won a silver medal in the women's 57kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2026. The 28-year-old lost to England's Acelya Toprak, missing out on a historic gold medal. However, her performance was widely appreciated and she became an inspiration for aspiring athletes across the country. This is India's third medal in judo at this edition of the Games.
Match details
Toprak's experience shines through in the final
The final match was a fierce contest with both judokas going all out from the start.
Toprak, who had won silver for England in 2022, looked to score heavily by forcing Maurya on to the mat.
However, Yamini showed strong defense and countered her opponent's groundwork.
As the bout progressed, Toprak launched a series of attacks that put Yamini on the defensive.
Match progression
No scores registered in the 1st half
The pressure from Toprak eventually led to a penalty for Yamini.
Despite the aggressive exchanges, neither judoka could score before the halfway mark of regulation time.
Toprak seemed to have found an opening later in the round when she rolled Yamini but no points were awarded as it wasn't a standing attack.
Match outcome
Toprak won the bout in golden score
With no scores registered before the final whistle, the high-stakes final went into a golden score where the first point or penalty decides the winner.
The extra-time period was filled with drama as Toprak nearly toppled Yamini with a sharp arm move but couldn't complete it.
In the end, her relentless offense forced an error from Yamini who lost on Ippon after nearly three exhausting minutes in this sudden-death period.
Judo history
Third Indian judoka to win a medal
Yamini is the third Indian judoka to win a medal at the ongoing 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Earlier, Asmita Dey (women's 48kg) and Harsh Singh (men's 60kg) had won gold medals in their respective categories.
This silver medal is India's 14th overall in judo at the Commonwealth Games.
Narender Singh was the first Indian to win a medal in judo at these games with his bronze medal finish in Auckland's men's extra-lightweight category back in 1990, as per News18.
Information
20 medals for India at CWG 2026
With Yamini's siver medal win, India now own a total of 20 medals at the Commonwealth Games 2026. This includes five gold, 11 silver, and four bronze medals.
Twitter Post
Silver!
🥈 A silver to end our charge in Judo for today! 🇮🇳
— Team India (@WeAreTeamIndia) July 31, 2026
Yamini Maurya battles through a tense women’s 57kg final, giving her all till the last moment to bring home silver.
A memorable Day 8 for Team India so far! ✨
And there’s plenty more action to come!
Let’s #Cheer4Bharat!… pic.twitter.com/ON0LMfAFhN