Medal Rush Continues! Soman Rana Wins Gold, Shubham Juyal Secures Silver In Men's F57 Shot Put At CWG 2026

India's Soman Rana clinched the gold medal in the men's F57 shot put event with a season's best throw of 13.40m, producing a commanding performance to finish at the top of the podium. The 2022 Asian Para Games silver medallist delivered his best effort of the season when it mattered most, underlining his consistency on the international stage.

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.

The event turned into a memorable outing for India as compatriot Shubham Juyal secured the silver medal with a season's best throw of 13.28m. Cameroon's Cedric Idriss Lekezo Azamdzi completed the podium after registering 12.57m to take home the bronze medal.

Rana led the competition from the front, with his winning throw proving too strong for the rest of the field. Juyal's impressive performance ensured an Indian one-two finish, while Azamdzi edged out South Africa's Nicolaas Strydom, who finished fourth with 10.94m.

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.

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.