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Asmita Dey scripts history for India with CWG judo gold
31 Jul 2026

Indian judoka Asmita Dey has made history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games.

She achieved this remarkable feat by defeating Canada's Heidi Quach in the women's 48kg final at Glasgow 2026.

The victory not only marks a major milestone for Indian judo but also adds another historic chapter to India's campaign in Glasgow.

Dey outsmarted Quach in tightly-contested final
Match details

The final match was a closely contested affair, with both judokas exchanging blows on the mat.

Quach drew first blood with a throw midway through the contest, but Dey quickly equalized with a sharp throw of her own, as per IANS.

As the bout progressed, Dey grew more confident and launched several attacking moves.

Even though some of her lock attempts didn't score points, she remained in control against Quach's counterattacks.

Dey's path to glory in Glasgow
Golden score

With the scores still level at the end of regulation time, the contest moved into Golden Score.

Here, Dey executed a superb throw near the edge of the mat to score the winning point and seal her gold medal victory.

Earlier in her campaign, Dey had secured an emphatic ippon victory over Scotland's Eva Ewing in quarterfinals and battled past Scotland's Sarah Adlington in a tense Golden Score semifinal to guarantee India a medal.

Dey's journey to the top
Athlete profile

Born on March 22, 2003, in Belonia, South Tripura, Asmita Dey's journey from a bicycle repair shop owner's daughter to India's first Commonwealth Games judo champion is one of perseverance and discipline.

She initially pursued athletics before a coach introduced her to judo.

After training at the Tripura Sports School under Bina Debnath and Manik Lal Deb, she earned a spot at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Regional Centre in Bhopal.

Other notable achievements of judo sensation Dey
Career highlights

Dey made her international debut in July 2022, winning a bronze medal at the Asian Cadet and Junior Judo Championships in Bangkok.

She followed this up with a gold medal at the Khelo India University Games in Bengaluru.

In 2023, she won silver at the Asian Open in Kuwait City before clinching gold at the Junior Asia Cup Judo Championships in Macau.

Dey is also a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) development athlete who hopes to win an Olympic medal for India.