The frustration of finishing fourth, a painful story in Indian sports, resurfaced on Day 2 of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. In the men’s lightweight para powerlifting event at SEC Armadillo, Indian powerlifter Ashok Malik gave an outstanding performance but narrowly missed out on a medal.
For many Indian sports fans, the heartache of fourth place is all too familiar. Legendary athletes like Milkha Singh and PT Usha have experienced it, along with Joydeep Karmakar, Dipa Karmakar, Abhinav Bindra, Aditi Ashok, and the mixed doubles tennis pair Rohan Bopanna and Sania Mirza. Each of them faced a near miss, falling just short of the podium.
In Glasgow, Ashok Malik competed valiantly in para powerlifting, an event where scores are determined using a special formula that combines the weight lifted and the athlete’s body weight. Ashok performed excellently, lifting 195kg on his first attempt and then breaking his own record with a lift of 200kg. He scored 143.8 points and stayed in the medal race until the last attempts, only to finish in fourth place after a missed third lift at 205kg. The bronze went to Bonnie Bunyau Gustin of Malaysia with 153.5 points.
The gold medal was won by England’s Mark Swan, who lifted a stunning 222kg for a score of 153.9 points. Nigeria’s Roland Ezuruike took home the silver medal after a tiebreaker.
Ashok Malik, hailing from Mirzapur Kheri village in Haryana, has shown incredible determination throughout his career. A celebrated nine-time national gold medallist, he faced a major setback at the 2018 Asian Para Games when he suffered a severe arm injury. Doctors were skeptical about his return, but with hard work and dedication, guided by his coach and a kinesiologist, he made a remarkable comeback.
Ashok’s international career has been impressive. He won a gold medal at the 2022 Asia-Oceania Championships and a bronze medal at the same year’s Asian Para Games. He qualified for the 2024 Paralympics after achieving a silver at the World Cup in Egypt, securing a career-best lift of 206kg there. After further success, including a bronze at the 2026 Asia-Oceania Championships, Ashok was seen as a key member of India’s para-athletics team.
In para powerlifting, the scoring system uses a unique formula to ensure fairness across different weight categories. The final scores are based on the athlete’s best valid bench press multiplied by a bodyweight coefficient, allowing lighter athletes to compete fairly against heavier ones. If there’s a tie in points, the medal is awarded based on which athlete has a lower body weight.
As the Commonwealth Games continue, fans hope for more successes and less heartbreak.
