India’s Pooja Singh missed out on a medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday after she finished the women’s high jump final in eighth place.
Competing in her maiden Commonwealth Games, Pooja Singh entered the final with considerable expectations after emerging as one of India’s brightest field-event prospects over the past two seasons.
However, she found the competition tough against an experienced field featuring several established international jumpers.
The 19-year-old made a steady start, clearing the opening heights with confidence to remain in contention during the early stages of the event. She looked composed in her approach, maintaining her rhythm and technique as the bar gradually went higher.
Pooja Singh bows out without a medal
The challenge intensified as the medal contenders began clearing bigger heights. Pooja was unable to keep pace with the leading athletes, and her attempts at a crucial stage of the competition exhausted her.
Pooja Singh’s overall score of 1.77m left her in eighth place, with Scotland’s Yuliya Levchenko (1.84m), Montenegro’s Marija Vuković (1.87m), England’s Morgan Lake (1.87m), Jamaica’s Lamara Distin (1.90m), Nigeria’s Temitope Adeshina (1.90m), Australia’s Nicola Olyslagers (1.93m) and gold medallist Eleanor Patterson (1.96m) all clearing higher heights.
While the result fell short of expectations, it marked another important milestone in the youngster’s rapidly developing career. The Commonwealth Games final was the biggest multi-sport event of her career and provided an opportunity to compete against some of the Commonwealth’s leading high jumpers.
Pooja has enjoyed a breakthrough season, establishing herself among Asia’s top high jumpers with a string of consistent performances on the international circuit. Her rise has been fuelled by significant improvements in technique and confidence, making her one of India’s strongest medal hopes in the discipline.
Those expectations, however, could not be translated into success in Glasgow. With every missed clearance becoming increasingly costly, the Indian gradually slipped out of medal contention as the competition progressed.
Pooja won a gold medal at the Asian U20 Athletics Championship earlier this year, setting a new national record of 1.93m. However, it wasn’t meant to be for the teenager on Tuesday. The youngster will next focus on the 2026 Asian Games that will take place in Nagoya, Japan, in September.
Although a Commonwealth Games medal eluded her this time, Pooja remains one of India’s most promising field athletes.
Her eighth-place finish may not have matched pre-event expectations, but it adds another chapter to a career that continues to move in an upward direction as she gains experience against world-class opposition.
India’s performance at CWG 2026 so far
India has so far clinched 12 medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and is in ninth place in the medal tally.
This includes two gold, seven silver and three bronze. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won her third straight Commonwealth Games gold medal, whereas para-athlete Sharmila Dhankar also won gold in the women’s shot put F57 category.