The weightlifting competition of India in the Commonwealth Games 2026 was extremely nail-biting as Valluri Ajaya Babu only made it to the final gold medal and ended up with a silver medal in the men's 79kg weightlifting category. With a huge chance to win a gold medal in both snatch and clean and jerk for the final at the very moment, Ajaya made it in the final stage of a close sprint and only missed it by the very narrowest of margins.
The competition was tight to the wire so the audience remained glued to their seats. Ajaya set the tone first in the snatch session, lifting 145kg and then recovering from an uncounted lift to set a new Commonwealth Games record with a brilliant lift of 149kg. In the clean and jerk sequence, the Indian lifter continued to get his medals with clean lifts of 174kg, 178kg and a pressure-packed 181kg. That last lift took him up the ladder and up to the gold medal position and sent the Indian camp into jubilation.
But Malaysia’s Muhammad Erry had other plans. Even though he started off with a bad lift of 147kg in the snatch, Erry made a dramatic comeback during clean and jerk. Utilizing his raw power, the Malaysian lifter lifted 184kg on his last attempt—winning by one kilogram over Ajaya (a total of 331kg) and a Commonwealth Games record. Ajaya finished with a record winning total of 330kg and England's Chris Murray got a bronze medal with a combined lift of 325kg (148kg snatch and 177kg clean and jerk).
Weightlifters Lead India's Charge
Ajaya’s silver medal was part of a fantastic medal surge for the Indian delegation in Glasgow. His podium finish took India’s medal tally to 10, just moments after the historic golds of para-athletics by Sharmila Dhankar (gold) and Shilpa K Shyla (bronze).
Weightlifting is still India’s big deal at the Commonwealth Games in 2026; it’s accounted for half of the country’s total medals so far. That was the start of the game when the country’s all-time greatest superstar Mirabai Chanu won the nation’s first gold in the 48kg category. And the Indian weightlifters who have dominated the platforms are all set for more glory as the Games progress.
