Yamini Mourya was supposed to make her senior international debut at the 2021 Asia Oceania Olympic qualifier in Bishkek. However, the Indian Judo contingent had withdrawn due to a member of the travelling party testing positive for COVID 19.
A knee injury followed, while defeat in the selection process kept her out of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
However, at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games she claimed a silver medal in the women’s 57kg weight category.
Her road to the final came through Ghana’s Frema Agyei in the women’s 57kg quarterfinal and South Africa’s Donne Breytenbach in the semifinal before pushing England’s Acelya Toprak into Golden Score in the title contest.
“After 2021, I suffered a knee injury and spent around six months recovering. In 2022, things also didn’t go my way because of my knee and the selection process. Those setbacks only increased my hunger, and I think that is what helped me win this medal,” Yamini told Sportstar.
“Judo has changed my life. It has made me a better person, and my dream now is to win an Olympic medal in Los Angeles.”
“I wasn’t focused on getting a spectacular Ippon. Whenever I got an opportunity in Ne-waza, I made sure I didn’t let it go, and that helped me finish both bouts comfortably,” she said.
During the regulation time, neither player managed to score points; this resulted in the match going into extra time. Yamini received three penalties during the extended period, which handed a gold medal to Toprak.
Her ability to reach the final speaks of a successful recovery from the most serious injuries of her career. In May 2024, Yamini underwent ACL and Meniscus surgery, but she never considered it to be a career-ending one.
“I never thought my career was over. I had come back from injuries before, so I knew that if I completed my surgery, rehab and recovery properly, I could return again,” she said.
In November 2025, Yamini’s comeback was evident when she won the Hong Kong Asian Open. She secured another gold at the Dakar Africa Open in March 2026 before finishing fifth at the Asian Senior Championships and seventh at the Qazaqstan Barysy Grand Slam.
Those results followed by a silver at the Commonwealth Games; Yamini is doing just fine.
Mourya first took up Judo at the age of 11 while studying at a government school in Sagar, Madhya Pradesh. She remained there until class 8 before leaving home to train at the MP State Academy in Bhopal.
From there, Yamini moved to Patiala to train under coach Jiwan Sharma and later followed him to the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS).
“I remembered my childhood friends from judo and all the memories of training together in my hometown. Now I am the only one here competing at this level, and I also felt very grateful for my family’s support,” she said.
She’s currently ranked 51st, and her first target is to enter the top 20 and secure direct qualification to the LA 2028 Olympics. After which Yamini plans to break into the top 10, which would earn her seeding at major international competitions.
The Commonwealth silver might’ve moved her closer to her goal; however, Yamini does not consider it to be the end of the journey.
“Judo has changed my life. It has made me a better person, and my dream now is to win an Olympic medal in Los Angeles.”
