From Uttarakhand to Glasgow: Unnati Sharma’s comeback story

Unnati Sharma’s bronze‑medal performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is the latest chapter in a remarkable comeback narrative that began in the hills of Uttarakhand. After a semi‑final defeat, Sharma rallied to defeat South Africa’s Sky Noster in the women’s 63 kg judo bronze match, delivering an ippon that sealed her place on the podium.

Her tournament started with a flash‑point victory over Eswatini’s Lamulela Magagula, concluding the round of 16 in just 1 minute 39 seconds through two wazari and a final ippon. The quarter‑final saw her face New Zealand’s Kona Christie, where a strategic yuko followed by a wazari propelled her into the semi‑finals.

Although the semi‑final ended in loss, Sharma’s resilience shone through. She entered the bronze bout with confidence, executing a clean ippon against Sky Noster.

The medal adds a fourth judo accolade for India at these Games, joining golds by Asmita De and Harsh Singh and a silver by Yamini Maurya. Sharma’s rise started in a modest training centre where she initially aimed to lose weight. Two years of basic training convinced her family in 2019 to support her decision to pursue judo professionally.

Since then, she has represented Uttarakhand at national competitions and become a staple of India’s junior and senior international squads. Her record includes a gold at the 2026 Dakar Africa Open, a bronze at the 2025 Hong Kong Asia Open, a gold at the 2023 Macau Junior Asian Open, and top‑seven finishes at the 2025 Taipei Asian Open and the 2023 Junior Asian Championship.