Polio, Stigma and Relentless Taunts Couldn't Stop Jhandu Kumar From Winning India's First CWG 2026 Medal

Glasgow: For years, people laughed at his name. Some used it as an insult, others as a joke. "Jhandu" - a Hindi slang often used to describe someone as useless or incompetent - became the label that followed him through childhood.

But the name echoed for an entirely different reason on Friday (July 25) as Jhandu Kumar lifted 190kg to win bronze in the men's over-72kg para powerlifting event, opening India's medal account at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The irony could not have been greater.

Born Avinash Kumar in Harnaut, Bihar's Nalanda district, the 29-year-old once tried to distance himself from the nickname that had become synonymous with ridicule. Today, he proudly carries it on every official document, every competition entry and now, on the Commonwealth Games podium.

The Name That Began as a Taunt

Jhandu's story goes back to his early childhood, when polio affected one of his legs. His parents spent whatever little money they had seeking treatment.

Their financial struggles soon became the subject of cruel jokes. "My father's friends would say, 'Your son has become Jhandu. You've spent all your money on him.' From then on, everyone started calling me Jhandu," he recalled after winning India's first medal in Glasgow.

As he grew older, he attempted to reclaim his original identity. "I changed my name to Avinash Kumar," he said during a virtual interview from Glasgow. But fate had other plans.

While getting official documents prepared at a government office, officials repeatedly called out "Jhandu Kumar." The room burst into laughter. Instead of hiding from the nickname anymore, he embraced it.

"We felt if people were smiling because of our name, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing. So I decided to keep it. Today, all my documents carry the name Jhandu Kumar. Avinash Kumar no longer exists," he said with a smile.

That same name is now etched into India's Commonwealth Games history.

Growing Up With Polio and Poverty

Life in Harnaut was never easy. Affected by polio at an early age, Jhandu often crawled because he had neither a wheelchair nor any assistive support. One leg was severely affected while the other retained partial movement.

His father, Parmanand Paswan, ran a small vegetable shop, and Jhandu became an integral part of the family business from a young age. Every day began long before sunrise.

He would wake up at 4 am, travel nearly 20 kilometres to Bihar Sharif in a shared van, buy vegetables from the wholesale market and return home to stock the family shop before opening for customers. Only after finishing work would he head to a local gym.

Ironically, his first motivation wasn't medals - it was Bollywood. Jhandu wanted to build an upper body like Salman Khan. Without a coach or proper facilities, he taught himself by watching videos of athletes on a borrowed mobile phone and copied their workouts in the gym.

His dedication soon caught the attention of local coaches Gautam Singh and Kundan Pandey. Kundan, who is associated with the Bihar Para Powerlifting Organisation, guided him.

Ferrying e-rickshaw work paid the bills but came at a cost. Long hours behind the wheel left him physically exhausted and affected the quality of his training. Yet he refused to give up on his sporting dream, squeezing in gym sessions whenever he could before eventually earning a place at the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Gandhinagar, where his career finally took off under Paralympic bronze medallist Rajinder Singh Rahelu.

A Chance Encounter Changed Everything

Jhandu's sporting journey did not begin with powerlifting. He initially competed in para athletics in the F55 shot put and discus throw categories, winning district and state medals. It was during one such competition that Bihar official Kundan Pandey noticed his physique and suggested he try para powerlifting.

His first national championship ended in disappointment without a successful lift, but it also changed his life.

Paralympic bronze medallist Rajinder Singh Rahelu spotted his potential and invited him to train at the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) in Gandhinagar.

Under Rahelu's guidance, Jhandu's career accelerated rapidly.

He won back-to-back national titles, lifted a national record 205kg in 2025 before improving it to 206kg at the Khelo India Para Games, followed by bronze medals at the Beijing World Cup and the Asian & Oceania Championships to book his place in Glasgow.

The Lift That Opened India's Medal Tally

Competing in the men's over-72kg category, Jhandu played his attempts strategically. His opening lift ensured he stayed in contention before a successful 190kg effort secured India's first medal of the Games.

His final attempt at 196kg, however, ended in disappointment. "I took my first lift safely because I didn't want to risk missing it. The second secured the medal. The third was for gold," he explained.

"The lift itself was good, but I made a mistake with my breathing and got stuck against the back of the rack. That's a technical foul."

Despite missing out on a higher finish, he had no regrets. "I believed in myself. There was never any pressure. I knew if I gave my best, I could win a medal."

The Support That Made the Difference

Today, Jhandu trains at the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence in Gandhinagar, where he says every aspect of an elite athlete's preparation-from nutrition to recovery-is taken care of.

"NCO Gandhinagar has everything an athlete needs. Since joining there, I've been winning medals for India," he said, while also crediting coach Rajinder Singh Rahelu for motivating him during difficult phases.

Government support has also played a key role in his rise. Through the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC), nearly ₹13.96 lakh was invested in his preparation during the Commonwealth Games cycle, alongside funding for international competitions, national coaching camps, equipment and training support.

Silencing the Doubters

For someone who once heard people question what a child with polio could ever achieve, standing on a Commonwealth Games podium represents far more than a bronze medal. It is proof that the nickname once meant to belittle him no longer defines him.

Instead, it has become a symbol of resilience. The people who once laughed at "Jhandu" will now remember the name for a different reason-because it belongs to the man who opened India's medal tally at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.