Zinabu Issah made history on Monday by winning the country’s first medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games after claiming silver in the women’s F57 shot put at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow.

The 46-year-old Paralympian produced a season’s best throw of 8.65 metres on her opening attempt, a mark that proved enough to secure second place in the nine-athlete field.

Issah immediately moved to the top of the standings with her first throw and maintained her position until India’s Sharmila produced a winning effort of 9.81m later in the competition. None of Issah’s remaining five throws surpassed her opening mark, but each exceeded the best throw of another Indian competitor, Shilpa Kanchugarakoppalu Shyla, who eventually finished third.

Defending champion Eucharia Iyiazi of Nigeria initially appeared to have secured the bronze medal with a throw of 8.19m. However, she was later disqualified after being recorded with “No Mark” (NM), meaning her attempts were ruled invalid under competition rules.

The disqualification elevated Shyla into the bronze medal position, although Iyiazi lodged a formal protest seeking to have her mark reinstated, delaying the medal ceremony pending a final decision.

Regardless of the outcome of the protest, Issah’s silver medal remained secure, giving Ghana its first podium finish of the Glasgow Games.

An emotional Issah said the achievement ranked among the proudest moments of her career.

“I feel extremely excited. I have won several gold medals at different competitions, but winning silver at my first Commonwealth Games is rare. It fills me with so much excitement,” she said after completing a mandatory doping test.

She also thanked Ghanaians for their support and paid tribute to the leadership of the National Paralympic Committee and the Ghana Olympic Committee.

“I thank everyone in Ghana for all their prayers, especially my NPC Ghana President Samson Deen and the GOC for bringing and supporting me here. I wouldn’t have come here or even known Glasgow if not for them, so I’m very grateful,” she said.

The silver medal marks a significant milestone for Ghana’s campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and adds another major achievement to Issah’s distinguished career, which includes representing the country at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.