India’s Dilip Gavit added to the country’s medal tally at the Commonwealth Games 2026. Clinching a historic gold medal, Gavit put forth a marvellous performance in the men’s 100m T47 and put in a record and season best time of 10.71 seconds.
Furthermore, shortly after Gavit’s feat, India’s celebrations doubled as Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath went past the finish line with a time of 10.83 seconds, which secured a silver medal for the Indian contingent.
It is worth noting that this was India’s third gold medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after Mirabai Chanu and Sharmila Dhankar. After the two medals, India sits in eighth place in the medal standings with three gold, nine silver and three bronze medals.
After the win, Dilip Gavit came forward and dedicated his victory to his coach Vaijanath Kale for helping him shape up his athletics career and discovering his talent.
“The start was a bit slow. Later, I picked up speed. I’ll do even better next time. I had to run the 100-meter dash only. Usually, I run the 400 meters; that’s my main event. But here, I ran the 100 meters, and I really enjoyed the race. I come from a small village, Toran Dongari (Nashik). Initially, I was doing farm work in the village. Then, my sir (Vaijanath Kale) saw me running and asked me to come to Nashik for training. He said he would handle everything, including the expenses. Today is Guru Purnima, so this medal is a gift for my Guru,” Gavit said after his win.
Vaijanath Kale opened up on Gavit’s development
Furthermore, his coach Vaijanath Kale also took centre stage and talked about discovering Dilip and how he had to convince his parents in the formative years of his training.
“I saw him at school and then I convinced his parents for training. He did not know anything about para competitions. He was competing in able-bodied events and was doing well. The problem in rural areas is that there are no facilities. He did not get proper medical facilities, which led to his left hand being amputated,” Kale said.
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