When Jhandu Kumar’s name was announced in Glasgow, it meant something very different from what it had meant during his childhood.
For years, people had mocked the name. But on July 25, 2026, the 29-year-old from Harnaut in Bihar’s Nalanda district stood on the Commonwealth Games podium with a bronze medal around his neck after lifting 190 kg and giving India its first medal of Glasgow 2026.
Jhandu was born into a modest family. His father, Ramanand Paswan, was a vegetable vendor, and his mother, Kamla Devi, helped run the family’s livelihood. Jhandu was affected by polio as a young child, but his disability never stopped him from wanting to compete. Before powerlifting, he competed in para athletics, winning medals in shot put and discus at district and state level.
But sport wasn’t his only responsibility. Every morning, Jhandu would travel nearly 20 km to buy vegetables for the family shop. Some days the family made only ₹300–400 in profit. After finishing work, he would go to the gym and train. Initially, he had no proper coach. He learned by watching athletes online on a borrowed phone and training himself.
Then came the pandemic. The family’s vegetable shop was affected by an overbridge construction project and had to shut down. Jhandu borrowed money to buy an e-rickshaw and began driving passengers to support his family. But the work left him exhausted, and training became almost impossible. His powerlifting diet itself could cost around ₹1,000 a day, while he was sometimes earning only about ₹500.
So Jhandu made a decision that sounds almost unbelievable now. He sold his e-rickshaw to fund his sporting dream.
His first para powerlifting competition came in Kolkata in 2022. He lifted 135 kg and won silver. But later that year, at the National Championships, none of his lifts were successful. That failure, however, turned out to be the beginning of his real breakthrough.
Veteran para powerlifter and coach Rajender Singh Rahelu, a Paralympic bronze medallist, noticed Jhandu’s potential and brought him to the Sports Authority of India’s National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar in 2023. For Jhandu, it was a completely different world professional coaching, facilities and a chance to train without having to choose between earning a living and becoming an athlete.
The results came quickly. He won silver at the 2023 Khelo India Para Games, became a national champion in 2024, and in 2025 lifted 205 kg at the National Championships, breaking the national record. Days later, he pushed it further to 206 kg at the Khelo India Para Games.
Then came the international stage. In 2025, Jhandu won bronze at the World Para Powerlifting World Cup in Beijing with a 192 kg lift. He finished sixth at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Cairo, lifting 198 kg, and later added another bronze at the 2026 Asia-Oceania Open Championships in Bangkok.
And then, Glasgow. Jhandu successfully lifted 186 kg and then 190 kg in his first two attempts. He narrowly missed 196 kg on his final attempt, but 190 kg was enough for bronze. India had its first medal of the Commonwealth Games. And Jhandu had something far bigger than a medal: an answer to every person who had once told him he was incapable of achieving anything.
The boy who sold vegetables with his parents. The athlete who trained without guidance. The e-rickshaw driver who sold his vehicle for one more chance. The lifter who once failed to register a single successful lift at the Nationals. He was now a Commonwealth medallist.
And perhaps the most beautiful part is that Jhandu isn’t looking at Glasgow as the finish line. His eyes are already on the 2026 Asian Para Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. Some people spend years trying to escape the name they were given. Jhandu Kumar turned his into a name India will remember.
