Indian judokas recorded the best medal haul at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2026 with two gold, one silver and one bronze. This was the first time Indian Judokas had won a gold medal at the CWG.The historic medal haul came despite the Judo Federation of India functioning under an interim body. The body held elections last month in July after a four-year delay. The CWG medal haul comes on the back of a historic bronze medal at the Asian Championships earlier this year won by Takhellambam Inunganbi.However, the improvement among the Indian judokas is not a sudden result but a gradual growth story, after an investment in foreign coaches, tougher training regimes, and a focus on nutrition and rehabilitation. India judokas Asmita Dey and Harsh Singh won historic gold medals in judo at the Commonwealth Games. (PTI)Three of the medal-winning judokas, Harsh Singh (gold in men’s 60kg), Yamini Mourya (silver in women’s 57kg), and Unnati Sharma (bronze in women’s 63kg), belong to the Judo campus program of IIS headed by British combat sport expert Gary Hall.“We are really pleased with the progress of the judo program. We have a new coaching structure with both foreign and Indian coaches, and along with focus on physiotherapy, the results are visible now,” Gary told The Indian Express.Gary, a former Taekwondo athlete, joined Inspire Institute in Bellary after leading the GB Karate team to major international success, including ten Olympic medals through his high-performance program.“Indian combat athletes, especially judokas, have all the talent and they are skilled on the mat, but they need to improve on their tactical acumen. There are certain improvements, but it will become better once Indians compete more at the global level,” said Gary.Story continues below this adUnexpected popularity28-year-old Yamini, who won the silver medal, didn’t expect that the medal would bring her this much attention. “Judo has grown in the last four years. I didn’t know that the medal would make me so popular. It was just a judo competition for me, and I wanted to win the medal,” Yamini told The Indian Express.Yamini attributed the professionalism brought in Judo as one of the reasons. “I have been doing Judo for a long time. But one thing that has changed after I joined IIS is the professionalism in nutrition, training regime, and diet,” she said. “Before joining the program, I had no idea about the importance of nutrition or recovery after a training session. These are the things that have made us better than before.”Harsh, the first Indian male judoka to win gold at the CWG, was a promising national-level player, but after joining IIS, his mindset and technique both improved massively. “I think I was doing well before joining IIS at the national level. However, once I joined, I realised how different it is to compete at the elite level,” said Harsh.“I have been working with a foreign coach, which has resulted in my improvement and technique being much better than before,” said Harsh. “Also, the recovery and rehabilitation from injuries are much better now as compared to before,” he added further.Story continues below this adNeed more exposureWhile the medal haul is a good reflection of India’s improvement, the quality is still far away from the global or the continental level.“We need more fights at the international level. Right now, we don’t have enough sparring partners in India. Once we go to international camps, we also learn from the athletes of other nations. I think the next step is for us to get more exposure at the international level,” explained Harsh.Gary concurs with his ward on the international exposure, but he also points out that India needs to develop a culture for Judo. “Combat sports like Judo come from culture,” said Gary. He cites the example of France. “France adopted Judo, and nobody expected them to become this good. But the reason they are good is because of the culture of Judo clubs and kids doing it regardless of thinking of it as a career,” said Gary.Gary is confident that the show at CWG is just a teaser of the good times that could come for Indian judo. “This is the result of a good system that looks at holistic development. Indian judokas are talented, and I think the good times for Indian judo are coming now,” concluded Gary.