India missed out on a medal in the first championship event of the 2026 Commonwealth Games as Ashok Kumar Malik finished fourth and Parmeet Kumar placed seventh in the men’s lightweight para powerlifting competition last Friday.Ashok came closest to a podium finish but narrowly missed out despite making two successful lifts.The competition features athletes from multiple body weight categories in a combined medal event. In such events, the final ranking is decided using a coefficient formula that calculates points based on an athlete’s body weight and their most successful lift.Parmjeet opened with a successful lift of 176kg, receiving two green lights and one red from the judges. He attempted 179kg but failed to complete the lift.Ashok started strongly with a successful lift of 195 kg, the heaviest opening lift in the field.In the second round, Parmjeet again reached 179kg but did not complete the test.Ashok successfully lifted 200 kg. The effort earned him 143.8 points and he remains in contention for a medal.Parmjeet made a final attempt at 179kg. Although he completed the lift, the judges ruled it invalid, giving him three red lights.Ashok chose 205kg for his final attempt, which would have been the heaviest successful lift of his career. Despite a successful lift, however, he remains fourth due to the coefficient scoring system. He did not complete the test and finished fourth with 143.8 points.Parmjeet finished seventh with 135.6 points.Mark Swan of England won the gold medal with a score of 153.902.Roland Ezuruike of Nigeria claimed silver with 153.874 points, while Bonnie Bunyau Gustin of Malaysia took bronze with 153.5 points.