Acelya Toprak of England triumphed over Yamini Mourya from India in a gripping women's -57kg judo final at the Commonwealth Games 2026. The match, which extended into golden score, lasted nearly seven minutes and saw Toprak secure her victory by forcing Mourya into a third shido.

This win marks a significant improvement for the 28-year-old, who previously earned silver in the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Reflecting on her experience, Toprak expressed her relief:

My last Commonwealth Games went exactly the same way... I made that one misstep, over-stretched and got caught. So I'm very happy that this time I didn't do that, because that's shattering, that hurts.

Toprak's determination shone through as she described the exhausting nature of the bout:

You're exhausted, someone's trying to throw you on your head for eight minutes and you've just got to get up and go again.

England's judo team had a remarkable evening, with all five competitors in medal contention winning their matches. Lele Nairne, who lost to Toprak in the semi-finals, bounced back to claim bronze by ippon, defeating Frema Agyei from Ghana in just 28 seconds. Nairne expressed her joy, stating:

I love throwing people like that... just to get a medal, I'm absolutely over the moon.

Additionally, Tatum Keen, a training partner of Nairne at Bradley Stoke Judo Club, also secured a bronze in the women's -52kg category, contributing to England's successful night in judo.