3 min readUpdated: Jul 27, 2026 02:21 AM IST
Raja Muthupandi won India’s fourth medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, and third in weightlifting, by winning silver in men’s 65kg late on the fourth day in Glasgow. Muthupandi had a best lift of 126kg in snatch and 160kg in clean and jerk. His total lift was 286kg. Malaysia’s Aznil Bidin won gold with a Games record lift of 299kg while Papua New Guinea’s Morea Baru won bronze with 282kg at the SEC Armadillo.
It is India’s third medal in weightlifting and fourth overall at Glasgow 2026. Rishikanta Singh had won silver earlier in the day in men’s 60kg while Mirabai Chanu later won an incredible third consecutive CWG gold in women’s 48kg. The medal marks a remarkable turnaround for Muthupandi, who has dealt with a host of injury and health setbacks in recent years. He secured a flight to Glasgow by winning the national title and setting a new national record.
Muthupandi was unsuccesfull in his first attempt at lifting 126kg in snatch. He then did it with his second but then couldn’t lift the 129kg he had listed for his third attempt. In clean and jerk, he failed to lift 158kg the first time around but still added two more kilos and remarkably lifted 160kg in his second attempt. He then attempted a Games record 170kg but dropped the weight before he even began his clean action.
The 26-year-old had suffered a ligament tear in his right elbow during Snatch at the at 2019 Commonwealth Championship that required surgery. This was followed by a lengthy gap in training and he could make his returning only at the 2021 National Championship where he finished 3rd and narrowly missed qualification for CWG 2022.
Earlier, Mirabai Chanu dominated the field in women’s 48kg to win her third consecutive gold and her fourth consecutive medal overall at the Commonwealth Games. Mirabai had started off by listing 82kg as her first lift in snatch. While she was unsuccesfull in her first attempt, Mirabai almost made it look effortless with her second. She then went on to break the Commonwealth record itself with her third lift of 85kg. It was the same for her clean and jerk, she listed a Games record 105kg as her first lift. She failed in her first attempt but then did it with her second.
Before Mirabai, it was Rishikanta who opened India’s account at Glasgow 2026 in weightlifting. heaved a Commonwealth Games record of 121kg in snatch, before lifting 143kg in the clean and jerk to finish second in the men’s 60kg event.
