Sharmila Dhankar is a para-athlete who won the women’s shot put F57 event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She became India's first-ever Commonwealth Games para-athletics gold medallist, ending a 20-year wait for a para-athletics medal at the Games. Sharmila’s life has been a rollercoaster; it is not an ordinary “winner takes it all” story.
Her story is an amalgamation of health struggles, family problems, sports, and sheer determination that led her to make history at the Commonwealth Games.
Sharmila had to rebuild her life over and over again. At the early age of 2, she contracted polio, which left lasting damage to her left leg.
Due to her condition, Sharmila couldn’t be friends with many people. Growing up, she did not have friends with whom she could play or share her emotions.
In an interview with HT, she said, “I don’t blame these people entirely. That was how things were for people with disabilities where I grew up, and so they didn’t know any better. But it hurt. Obviously, it hurt.”
Later in her life, Sharmila got into an abusive marriage where she was drowned in suicidal thoughts. She was also thrown out of her house; however, she kept fighting for herself and her 2 kids.
Her life took a golden turn when Sharmila got introduced to para-athletics. Her now-husband, Ajit Singh, introduced her to the world of sports and held her hand through her dreams.
While most athletes start planning their retirement after 30, Sharmila had started her career in para-athletics when she was in her mid-30s.
In an interview with Sportstar, she said, “I'd never played any sport. And with my handicap, I couldn't even run. I was also 34 years old. I was going to start at an age where everyone else was ending their career. Despite all this, my husband was very insistent that we explore the idea.”
In 2020, Sharmila and Ajit approached Tek Chand, who is an Asian Para Games medalist himself.
Within a year, Sharmila was crowned national champion. Devoting herself fully to her sport, she rose to become India's undisputed best in her discipline, consistently smashing her own national records and securing her place on the world stage.
Before the Commonwealth Games, Sharmila also won gold in shot put and bronze in discus at the 2026 Fazza International Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.
According to reports, Sharmila was married at the young age of 19, and her marriage soon turned abusive. She said that she remembered the horror of being in that marriage. “I didn’t have the courage to speak out,” she said.
In an interview with Indian Express, Sharmila said that she remembers the horrible night when her first husband, who was a drug addict, abused her and kicked her out along with their two daughters from their house in Gurkawas Village in Rewar.
Her then-husband stripped her naked before throwing her out. The neighbours wrapped her in a quilt, and later her parents, Jail Lal and Santosh, took her back to their village in Chhithrauli, Mahendragarh.
Sharmila's family made significant financial sacrifices to support her sporting career. According to The Indian Express, her husband, Ajit Singh, left his job and took loans, while her mother sold farmland to help fund her training.
Sharmila’s achievement in the 2026 Commonwealth Games made for a massive moment in her life. Her opening throw in the shot put game was 9.48m, which virtually secured the gold. Her third throw was the season's best, being 9.81m. Sharmila dominated the game from the very start.
During the game, Nigeria’s Eucharia Iyazi threw had her result disqualified following a review. The decision also affected the final standings, allowing fellow Indian para-athlete Shilpa K Shyla to move up to bronze and giving India two medals in the event.
Her victory marked the biggest turnaround in her life after the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where Sharmila missed out on a medal by finishing fourth, even though she broke the national record.
Tragically, she kept on missing the podium for the next few years. She placed fourth in the 2023 Asian Para Games and fifth in the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.
After winning the gold medal in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Sharmila became closer to achieving her dream of building a new house because she had to sell her old house to fund her training.
Following her historic victory, Sharmila also looked ahead to future competitions, including the Asian Games, as she continued pursuing her ambitions in para-athletics.
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