On July 29, 2026, Dilip Mahadu Gavit ran the fastest 100 meters of his career at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow. He crossed the finish line in 10.71 seconds, setting a new Commonwealth Games record and becoming the first Indian male athlete to win a Commonwealth Games Para Athletics gold medal. The result is the latest achievement in his career, not so much early promise but persistence, a coach who backed him early, and a series of results that have grown year by year.
grew up in Tolandongari
Gavit was born on April 21, 2003 in Toran Dongari, a village near Nashik in Maharashtra, into a family of five farmers. When he was five years old, he fell from a tree and injured his right arm. Without timely treatment in the village, the injury developed into gangrene. Doctors had to amputate his arm below the elbow. As a child, he continued to help his family with farm work, and running became something he did on the roads in the village without any formal coaching.
School Year in Surgana
Gavit studied at Shaheed Bhagat Singh School in Surgana Tehsil in Nashik district. His coach, Vaijanath Kale, first noticed him at an intercollegiate track meet and saw his running potential. Since the family could not afford it, Kyle took on the responsibility of training him and paying his fees. Gavit later moved to Nashik to train more regularly under Kale. Around 2019, when he was still preparing for his Class 10 exams, he got his first chance to compete in a national competition.Khelo India Youth Games 2019That year, Gavitt was selected for the Maharashtra team to participate in the Kellogg India Youth Games (KIYG) in Pune, his first appearance at a major sports centre. The team won a bronze medal in the men’s 4x400m relay. It was an unremarkable achievement on paper, but it marked his entry into competitive sports beyond the school and district levels and brought him to the attention of the state’s broader disability sports body.2022 Asian Para Games Gold MedalGavit’s main event has been the 400m in the T47 category, an event suitable for athletes with one arm impairment but still able to make full use of their legs. At the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, he won the gold medal in the men’s 400m T47 event, a feat that also became India’s 100th medal at the Asian Para Games. The victory placed him among the nation’s leading sprinters and opened the door to international competition.Debuts at World Championships and Paralympic GamesIn July 2023, Gavit represented India at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris and qualified for the 2024 Summer Paralympics. At the Paralympic Games held in the same city a year later, he ran a season-best time in the preliminaries and finished third in the men’s 400m T47 final, his first Paralympic final. He was unable to repeat this form in the final, finishing eighth in 49.99 seconds. It was a tough result to accept, but it gave him experience at the highest level of the sport at the age of 21.Glasgow Commonwealth Gold Medal 2026Three years later, at the 2026 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Glasgow, Gavitt made his debut not in his main event, the 400m, but in the 100m T47. He said afterwards that the 400m is usually his main event and he prefers to compete in shorter distances. He took full advantage of this. He started from lane 7 and rushed through the last 30 meters, winning the gold medal in 10.71 seconds, setting a new Olympic record.His compatriot Mohammed Basil Morssinganakath finished second in a time of 10.83 seconds to help India finish one-two in the event, widely regarded as the country’s first such result in para athletics at the Commonwealth Games. England’s Kevin Santos won the bronze medal in 10.85 seconds. The result makes Gavitt the second Indian para-athlete to win a gold medal at these Olympics after Sharmila Dhankar won the women’s shot put F57 event a few days ago.Gavitt dedicated the medal to Kyle, who has been his coach since his schooldays. The win came on Guru Purnima Day, a day established in memory of the teacher, and he called it a gift to his coach.
Support and next steps
Gavit is currently supported by Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), a sports organization that provides funding and training to Indian Olympic and Paralympic athletes. With Asian Para Games gold, Paralympic finals and a Commonwealth Games record behind him, his focus is likely to return to his main event, the 400m T47, as he looks ahead to the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
