CHANDIGARH: For the women athletes of Haryana, the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow will be forever etched in their memories after winning a haul of medals in boxing, discus throw and javelin.
The women pugilists from Bhiwani—known as “India’s Cuba” for its rich boxing heritage—won four gold medals, thus enhancing the town’s reputation as a boxing powerhouse. The five women boxers Preeti Pawar (54 kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57 kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51 kg) and Priya Ghanghas (60 kg) collectively won four gold medals on Saturday.
Among the other star performers from the town was Seema Kaliraman, who, while pursuing her PhD, won a bronze medal in discus throw. Her personal coach is her husband Ravinder, who is a former discus thrower, but his career was cut short due to an injury.
The performance of Preeti, a Naib Subedar in the army from Badesra village, Bhiwani, delivered a dominant 5-0 victory over Scarlett Delgado of Canada in the final.
Her father Sombir said that Preeti had promised the family that she would return with a medal. “Her mother will welcome her home with ‘churma’ and ‘kheer’,” he said.
Another Naib Subedar, Jaismine Lambor, won gold by defeating Michaela Walsh of Northern Ireland. She had previously won bronze at the last Commonwealth Games.
Bhiwani Boxing Club president Kamal Singh Pradhan said that women boxers had outperformed their male counterparts this time, and it is a proud moment to watch girls from the state dominate the international boxing arena.