As an example of human tenacity, Sharmila Dhankar has gone down in history as the first Commonwealth Games gold medallist in para athletics from India. She clinched gold in the women's shot put F57 category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, ending a decades-long wait for the country.
Nevertheless, Sharmila’s path to winning the gold medal has not been an easy one. Having overcome polio, domestic violence, poverty, and being old enough to have retired when she started sports training, her success story has become an inspiration for millions. This is more about her life story, struggles, and career milestones.
Who Is Sharmila Dhankar?
Sharmila Dhankar is a female para-athlete from India, representing Haryana, who participates in the women’s shot put in the F57 disability class. Sharmila established herself as a sports personality when she won the gold medal in the women’s shot put F57 event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games held in Glasgow, Scotland, throwing 9.81 meters for her best performance of the season.
Winning gold, Sharmila became India’s first-ever para-athletics gold medal winner at the Commonwealth Games. Apart from her sporting achievements, overcoming great adversities, health issues, and personal challenges made her an inspiration to many people in India.
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Sharmila Dhankar Early Life And Struggles
Sharmila was born on 15th August 1986 in Chitrauli Village located in the Mahendragarh district of Haryana state to a visually challenged mother and a farmer. At the age of two years old, she fell ill with polio disease which left her with damaged legs. Because of the poor economic status of her family, she was married off at the age of 19, although she had been performing well academically.
Sharmila experienced violence from her husband through physical torture, demanding dowry, and harassment after the birth of two daughters. One of the unforgettable experiences in her life includes an occasion where her husband stripped her naked and threw he,r along with her children, en out on the streets until the neighbours helped cover her with a blanket, after which she was picked up by her parents. After divorcing, she became a victim of social stigma and worked as a bus conductor for 18 days. Her life improved when she got remarried to Ajit Singh in 2018, who was a pump technician.
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Sharmila Dhankar Career And Achievements
It must be stated that Sharmila's career in para-athletics was launched at an unusual age of 34 years through the encouragement of her husband, Ajit. The para-athlete received training in shot put and discus throw under the coach Tek Chand at Rewari and soon became the national champion. Sharmila set a national record with a throw of 8.43 meters and won fourth place at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
After that, the athlete took fifth place at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi. In 2026, Sharmila won a gold medal in shot put F57 and a bronze medal in discus throw F57 at the Fazza International Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. The greatest success in Sharmila's career was a triumph at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the athlete made six throws over 9 meters and won a gold medal with a throw of 9.81 meters for India's first-ever CWG para-athletics gold medal.
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Conclusion
The win of Sharmila Dhankar in the Commonwealth Games is not just about being a good sportsman; rather, it is an emblematic representation of sheer determination and self-confidence.
Image credits: Instagram
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