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Teenage para-cyclist Lisha Das is set to become one of India’s youngest athletes at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, making her Games debut on July 30.

At just 16 years old, Lisha has quickly emerged as one of the country’s brightest young talents, progressing rapidly from grassroots programmes to the elite level.

Early days

Hailing from Sonitpur, Assam, Lisha has a deformity in one hand and competes in the C5 category of para track cycling, where athletes ride conventional bicycles with the necessary adaptations.

Her talent was first spotted through the Aditya Mehta Foundation’s grassroots talent identification programme, after which she was inducted into its Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad.

Currently a student at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV), Biswanath, Lisha has balanced her academics and sporting ambitions with remarkable grit and determination.

Now, the teenager has bigger targets in mind, starting with the Commonwealth Games before turning her focus to the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

Rising through the ranks

Lisha enjoyed her breakthrough last year, winning gold at the National Road Cycling Championships before claiming six medals across two Para Cycling Cups in Thailand.

She began her international campaign with two gold medals in the road races at the Lanna Cup before winning four medals (two silver and two bronze) at the Korat Para Cycling Cup.

She carried that momentum into 2026, clinching five medals (two silver and three bronze) on her debut at the Asian Para Track Cycling Championships in the Philippines.

Those performances helped her climb the continental rankings, significantly boosting her qualification chances for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

A versatile cyclist who excels in both road and track events, Lisha will now make her major multi-sport Games debut in Glasgow, where she is set to compete against four-time Paralympic champion Kadeena Cox of England.

She will compete in the combined C4-C5 track cycling events—the 4,000m individual pursuit on July 30 and the 1,000m time trial on August 2.