Sharmila Dhankar

Event Description

Sharmila Dhankar is an inspirational Indian para-athlete from Mahendragarh, Haryana, who made sports history at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Competing in the women’s shot put F57 classification, she threw a season-best 9.81 metres to secure India's first-ever CWG gold medal in para-athletics, single-handedly ending the nation's 20-year medal drought in the discipline. Her victory established her as a premier international athlete, complementing her previous successes at the 2026 Fazza International Championships in Dubai.

Summary

Beyond her historic athletic feats, Sharmila’s story is a profound testament to human resilience. Having contracted polio at age two and later surviving a severely abusive first marriage, she courageously restarted her life and took up sports in her mid-thirties with the unwavering support of her second husband

Award Details

Gold Medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.