Tulika Maan eyes CWG gold to add to Birmingham silver
Commonwealth Games silver medallist judoka Tulika Maan, who made a first-round exit at the Paris Olympics, is determined to put that disappointment behind and upgrade the colour of her medal in the upcoming CWG in Glasgow.
Maan’s Olympic campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion after she lost her opening women’s +78kg bout to Cuban great Idalys Ortiz in just 28 seconds in Paris Olympics two years back.
“Paris was like a black day for me,” Maan told PTI on the sidelines of the Indian contingent’s kit unveiling and send-off ceremony here.
“Making a comeback from there was very difficult because I knew the pressure was there. But it’s okay. Because of my family, I am ready for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.”
The Delhi judoka had claimed silver in the +78kg category at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after going down in a hard-fought final to Scotland’s Sarah Adlington.
Asked if she was looking to improve on that result, Maan made her intentions clear.
“Yes, for sure. It’s not that I have to, I want to change it,” she said. “Hopefully, I will win the gold. It will be a blessing for me because I will finally get the moment that I wanted in Birmingham.”
Maan is set for another potential clash with Adlington in Glasgow, this time on the Scots’ home turf, but the Indian is confident of not repeating the mistakes she made in the 2022 final. “Last time as well, it was her home ground, but the mistakes were mine. I won’t repeat them again.
“She is very experienced and I know what to expect. I am well prepared for that fight and really excited as well,” she said.
