CWG 2026: Para athletes shine at Commonwealth with Dilip Gavits historic gold in mens 100m T47, Mohammed Basil claims silver
Gavit's gold was India's third gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games after Mirabai Chanu's win in women's 48kg weightlifting and Sharmila Dhankar's victory in the women's F57 shot put event.
PTC News Desk: India created history in para athletics at the Commonwealth Games by winning both the gold and silver medals in the men's 100m T47 event. Dilip Mahadu Gavit won the gold medal with a Games record and season-best time of 10.71 seconds, while Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath took the silver with his season-best time of 10.83 seconds. England's Kevin Santos won the bronze medal with a time of 10.85 seconds.
These were India's third and fourth medals of the day. Earlier, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar won silver in the men's long jump, becoming the first Indian male long jumper to win two Commonwealth Games medals.
Gavit's gold was India's third gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games after Mirabai Chanu's win in women's 48kg weightlifting and Sharmila Dhankar's victory in the women's F57 shot put event. With these medals, India moved to eighth place in the medal table with a total of 15 medals — three gold, nine silver and three bronze.
The one-two finish also showcased India's growing success in para athletics, with both Gavit and Basil delivering impressive performances in Glasgow.
The win gave India its third gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games after Mirabai Chanu's weightlifting gold and Sharmila Dhankar's victory in the women's F57 shot put. With these two medals, India climbed to eighth place in the medal standings with a total of three gold, nine silver and three bronze medals.
Gavit began his career as a 400m runner and competed in open events until 2021 before becoming one of India's top para athletes. His breakthrough came at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where he won gold in the men's 400m T47 event. He later impressed at the Paris Paralympics by finishing third in his heat, although he narrowly missed qualifying for the final.
Since the 400m was not included in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Gavit switched his focus to the 100m this season, and the decision proved to be a huge success.
Despite rainy weather and a slippery track, Gavit overcame a slow start to claim the gold medal.
"The start was a bit slow, but I gradually picked up speed and it felt great to win," he said.
He added that the constant rain made it difficult to warm up properly and affected his timing before the race.
"The weather was not good, and it was difficult to get my timing right. The body becomes slow, and warming up is not easy," Gavit said.