Glasgow [Scotland], August 1 (ANI): India celebrated a historic day in para athletics at the Commonwealth Games 2026 on Saturday as Soman Rana clinched gold and Shubham Juyal claimed silver in the men's F57 shot put final, securing the country's first-ever gold medal and maiden double podium finish in the event.

In an all-Indian battle for the top spot, Soman produced a best throw of 13.40m to edge Shubham, who finished close behind with an effort of 13.28m, according to ESPN.

The result marked India's first gold medal in the men's F57 shot put at the Commonwealth Games and the nation's first-ever one-two finish in the discipline.

For Soman, the triumph was the culmination of a remarkable journey of resilience and perseverance. An Indian Army havildar, he was once among the country's finest amateur boxers, finishing fifth at the National Championships in 2005. However, his sporting career took an unexpected turn in December 2006 when he lost a leg in a landmine blast while serving with the Gorkha Rifles along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

During rehabilitation at Pune's Artificial Limb Centre, Soman found a new purpose in para athletics before joining the Army Paralympic Node in 2017. Since then, he has represented India at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympics and steadily built an impressive resume that includes silver at the 2022 Asian Para Games and bronze at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.

The Commonwealth Games gold adds another major achievement to the 43-year-old's decorated career.

Shubham's journey to the podium has been equally inspirational. The Roorkee native had aspired to become an Army officer like his father and had cleared the written examination for the Army Cadet College entry scheme in 2022. However, a devastating motorcycle accident that year resulted in the amputation of his leg, forcing him to abandon that dream.

While recovering at the Artificial Limb Centre in Pune, Shubham chose para sports over vocational rehabilitation and joined the Army Paralympic Node under coach Rakesh Singh Rawat. Training alongside some of India's leading para athletes helped him develop into one of the country's brightest prospects in the F57 category.

Before Glasgow, Shubham had finished seventh at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships and won medals at the Indian Open Para Athletics Grand Prix, National Para Athletics Championships and Khelo India Para Games.

Both athletes have been backed under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), receiving financial assistance for international competitions, national coaching camps, training, equipment and other support.

Their gold-silver finish further underlined India's growing depth in para athletics and added another memorable chapter to the country's medal-winning campaign at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. (ANI)