Glasgow: India’s Harsh Singh clinched a historic gold at the Commonwealth Games as he became the first male judoka from the country to win the title, pulling off an upsets win over Australia’s vastly experienced Joshua Katz in the men’s -60kg final in Glasgow Friday.
The 23-year-old, competing in his maiden Commonwealth Games, claimed the biggest title of his career with a composed and tactically astute performance against the Australian Olympian, who was widely regarded as the favourite for the gold.
After a closely fought contest in which neither judoka was able to establish a clear advantage, Harsh struck decisively with just 41 seconds remaining on the clock.
He executed a superb waza-ari — the second-highest scoring technique in judo — to take the lead, and then defended resolutely for the remainder of the four-minute bout to secure a memorable victory.
The result was a major surprise considering Katz’s decorated resume.
The 28-year-old has won multiple Oceania Championships and Australian national titles, represented Australia at the Olympics and claimed a bronze medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Unfazed by his opponent’s pedigree, Harsh remained composed throughout the contest, refusing to be overawed by the occasion. His decisive waza-ari ultimately proved enough to seal the Australian’s fate and deliver India its second judo gold of the day.
Katz also comes from a distinguished judo family, with both his parents being former judokas, while his father has served as Australia’s national judo coach at previous Olympic Games. That only added to the significance of Harsh’s breakthrough triumph, which stands as the finest achievement of his young career.
PTI
