Once Stripped Naked by Her Husband and Thrown Out, India's Para Athlete Sharmila Dhankar Wins Historic Gold in Commonwealth Games 2026

TWENTY-NINE YEARS AGO, Indian shooter Roopa Unnikrishnan became the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, in 1998. History was made that day. Almost three decades later, another historic moment has been achieved at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. On July 27, 2026, India's pride, Sharmila Dhankar, brought home a gold medal becoming the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games gold medal in para athletics.

Dhankar competed in the women's Shot Put F57 event and made history by bagging a gold medal with a season-best throw of 9.81 metres. The F57 category is for athletes who have lower limb impairments or other forms of reduced muscle power. The 40-year-old has therefore etched her name in history forever as an inspiration for many more para athletes to come in the future.

See Also: Indian Athletes Shines on Day One of Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow

Who is Sharmila Dhankar?

Dhankar’s personal journey to the 2026 Commonwealth Games is not a regular story. The gold medallist was born in Chithrauli village in Haryana on August 15, 1986, and suffered damage to her legs after contracting polio at the age of just two. Her mother was visually impaired, and her father was a small farmer.

She was later married off at the age of 19, but things did not go as planned. She shared her story with The Indian Express just minutes after her win, revealing how she was abused by her first husband and put through immense trauma, leaving Dhankar and her daughters out on the street. Describing her first marriage, she revealed that her first husband was a drug addict and how life became an ordeal for her after she gave birth to her second daughter.

Sharmila Dhankar’s Tragic First marriage

After her historic win at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, she shared that she had called her mother, daughters, and her current husband to celebrate and share the happy news with them. Dhankar also recalled a shocking incident from her life, when her first husband stripped her naked and threw her out. “Mere ko nangi kar ke meri betiyon ke sath sadak pe faink diya tha mere pehle husband ne (My first husband stripped me naked and threw me and my daughters out onto the street),” said Dhankar. 

See Also: Mirabai Chanu Shines with Gold Medal in 48kg Weightlifting at Commonwealth Games 2026

She continued that it was her neighbours who covered her at that time. She said, “My neighbours wrapped me in a quilt, and my parents took us away.” Sharmila Dhankar got remarried to Ajit Singh in 2018, almost six years after her divorce from her ex-husband. Ajit, who works as a pump technician, supported Dhankar throughout her journey. She shared, “Relatives called me a home wrecker when I stayed at my parents’ home. I worked for eighteen days as a conductor before I lost that too.”

When she received a marriage proposal from Ajit, she told him that all she wanted from him was support for herself and her daughters. It was Ajit Singh who insisted that Dhankar pursue sports and even encouraged her daughters to take up athletics. Ajit said that one day he saw para sports on television and initially sent Dhankar to play kabaddi. “Narak se swarag banana chahta tha main Sharmila aur betiyon ke liye. (I wanted to turn hell into heaven for Sharmila and our daughters),” Ajit said. 

Her mother, Saroj, heard about her historic win on television and told The Indian Express that despite being good at studies, they had married her off at the age of 19 due to their poor financial situation. Her mother further added, “When it happened, I told my husband we had to go bring her back. This gold is Sharmila’s jazba (spirit).”

Sharing her story and journey with the world, she had one message for all the women in India: to “fight back against abuse.” Dhankar’s story has become a source of inspiration and a driving force for all the women and daughters of India to triumph over their challenges.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

Suggested Reading: