Beaten for Dowry and Having Daughters, She Sold Her House to Train: Sharmila Dhankar Wins Historic CWG Gold in Glasgow

Twenty years after India last stood on a para-athletics podium at the Commonwealth Games, 40-year-old Sharmila Dhankar did not just end the dry spell on Tuesday — she smashed it into the record books.
With a season-best heave of 9.81 metres in the women’s shot put F57 final, Dhankar clinched India’s first-ever gold medal in para-athletics at the Commonwealth Games. She comfortably outclassed Ghana’s Zinabu Issah, who took silver with 8.65 metres, while fellow Indian thrower Shilpa K Shyla secured bronze following a technical review.

Yet behind the glittering gold medal in Scotland lies a story forged in extraordinary endurance, domestic torture, and radical sacrifice.

From Domestic Abuse to the World Stage

Born in Chitrauli village in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district, Dhankar’s physical challenges began when a bout of high fever at age two left her with polio in her left leg. Growing up in a modest farming family, resources were tight, but the true ordeal began when she was married off at 18.
For eight years, Dhankar endured horrific physical and mental abuse in her first marriage. Her in-laws repeatedly assaulted her over relentless dowry demands and tormented her for giving birth to two daughters.

"I was beaten from 11 pm to 3 am," Dhankar recalled in past interviews, speaking candidly about a harrowing night that pushed her to the brink. At 26, after another brutal beating, she was cast out of the house. Homeless, broken, and raising two young girls alone, she battled severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

A Second Chance and a Sold House

Life began to shift when Dhankar remarried at 28. Her husband, Ajit Singh, noticed her resilience and suggested a new path after reading an article about para-sports in a local newspaper.
In 2020, at the age of 34 — an age when most athletes contemplate retirement — Dhankar picked up a shot put for the first time. Under the guidance of national coach Tek Chand in Rewari, she took to the seated F57 category with natural grit, winning her first national title within a year.

Financial hardship, however, continued to shadow her ambitions. Equipment, nutritional support, and international travel strained the family's modest income. In 2023, believing entirely in her potential, her family took a massive gamble: they sold their home to fund her training and competitive travel. The family moved into a rented house so Dhankar could keep throwing.

Unfinished Business Settled in Glasgow

That sacrifice paid off on the global stage. Having narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, Dhankar returned to the 2026 Glasgow Games with unfinished business.

Dominating the final from her initial attempt, her winning throw of 9.81 metres not only delivered India's second gold of the Glasgow campaign — alongside weightlifter Mirabai Chanu — but also cemented her legacy as the first Indian woman ever to win a CWG para-athletics medal.

For Dhankar, standing atop the podium as the national anthem played was not merely a victory over rival throwers. It was the ultimate answer to every door shut in her face, every night of violence, and every doubt cast on a mother who refused to break.