CHENNAI: Harsh Singh was hardly five when decided to enrol himself in Victory Judo Academy located in Kakrola village of South-West Delhi. Born in a daily-wage labourer's family, Harsh was a bundle of energy and used to play in the neighbourhood for hours. That is when he saw his friends training at the judo centre. That one knock on the door of the academy changed Harsh's life forever. He not only got a way to channelise his limitless energy but also found a career that would eventually give him name and fame. Of course, because of his modest background, the coaches and other staff at the academy took care of his diet and kit.
The 23-year-old from Delhi on Friday added a new chapter to his blossoming judo career when he became the first male judoka from the country to clinch a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games.
Competing in the -60kg weight category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Harsh defeated Chikondi Kathewera of Malawi by Ippon in the round of 16. He than overpowered Alan Monthouel of Vanuatu by Ippon in the quarterfinal. The semifinal against Pedro Carlos Antun of Australia turned out to be a relatively tougher bout but the Indian judoka won it by Waza-Ari to enter the final. In the summit clash, Harsh defeated another Australian opponent 10-0 finish on top of the podium.
Hemant Rathee, Harsh's childhood coach, still remembers the day when the boy approached him requesting for admission in the academy. "He followed his friends to the academy. I had seen him playing in the neighbourhood. He was always at some or other kind of mischiefs but has a lot of energy so I decided to use it in the sport," an elated Rathee reminisced.
Harsh's father is a daily-wage labourer and lives in the same locality. "Harsh hails from a modest background. His parents hardly visited the academy enquiring about his progress. They are poor people and are always busy in earning their livelihood." The coach not only trained Harsh but also fulfilled his dietary requirements. "Satyavan Gehlot also coaches youngsters here at the academy. He used to bring milk for boys, who could not afford it at their respective homes."
Harsh was skinny when he joined the academy and remained the same for years earning himself a nickname — khajur (dates). "We used to call him khajur as he was skinny. I used to tell him why was he not putting on weight despite eating so much. I used to compare him with dry dates and call him khajur," said Rathee with a big smile.
Incidentally, the coach got the first news about Harsh's win in the round of 16 from his former ward, who is pursuing Master's in Physiotherapy from Scotland. "One of my trainees, Sagar Yadav, is there in Scotland and went to Glasgow to watch Harsh's bout. Soon after Harsh won his first bout, he called me and said, 'Sir khajur jeet gaya. wo accha khela (Sir khaur won. He is playing good)."
Silver for Yamini
Another Indian, Yamini Mourya, however, lost the -57kg weight category final against England's Acelya Toprak, to settle for a silver medal. Earlier, she defeated Frema Agyei of Ghana by Ippon in quarterfinal and then thrashed Donne Breytenbach of South Africa by Ippon to enter the final.
Early exit for Siddi athlete Rohit and Shraddha
Rohit Basir Majgul, the first Siddi athlete from the country, however got eliminated after losing the repechage round of the -66kg weight category. He lost by Yuko to Michael Fryer of England. The Siddi community is an ethnic and religious minority group in the country comprising people of East and Southeast African Bantu descent. Their ancestors were brought to the Indian subcontinent centuries ago.
Earlier, Rohit won the round of 16 beating Ribeiro of Mozambique by Ippon. He then lost to Petros Christodoulides of Cyprus by Yuko but got entry into the repechage round.
Another Indian judoka to go out of medal contention on the day was Maharashtra's Shraddha Chopade. She won the round of 16 contest in -52kg weight category against Jane Massaquoi of Sierra Leone by Ippon but lost the quarterfinal to Australian Tinka Easton by Yuko. Like Rohit, she also made it to the repechage round where she lost to Lola Hodson of Wales by Yuko.