By Admin 
India’s medal account has been opened in the 2026 Commonwealth Games. India got its first medal by a player whose name was always made fun of. Yes, when Jhandu Kumar’s name was announced as India’s first medal winner in the Commonwealth Games, it was not just an announcement of a bronze medal, but also an announcement of the victory of his struggle, ridicule and indomitable will.
28-year-old para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar from Bihar brought glory to the country by winning the bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight category with 130.9 points on Friday. He successfully lifted 181 kg and 190 kg, while his last attempt of 196 kg was not successful. This weight could have changed the color of his medal.
“The happiness is so much that I haven’t been able to sleep since last night. Even when I lie down, I can’t sleep,” Zandu said in a conversation organized by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). However, he does not regret his failure in the last attempt. He said, “I kept the initial weight reserved because if I had failed in that, my confidence would have been shattered. The second weight was to ensure a medal and the third was for gold. Due to a technical mistake and hasty breathing, I missed the gold.”
Zandu’s struggle started long before the playground. At the age of five, polio left him physically handicapped. He said, I had to walk sitting. People used to taunt that now that he has become disabled, what will he do?
The story of his name is equally painful. The family spent their entire savings on the treatment of polio. Then some of the father’s acquaintances used to taunt, saying, your son has ruined everything, spent all the money. This taunt gradually became his name. At one time, he even tried to change his name to Avinash Kumar, but after seeing the documents, the officials in the government office repeatedly called him ‘Jhandu Kumar’ and started laughing.
He said, I felt that if people are happy laughing at my name then this name is right. Now my name is Jhandu Kumar in all the documents. Avinash Kumar no longer exists.