Silver Worth More Than Gold: How Rishikanta Singh Made Manipur History

The gold was up for grabs. Rishikanta Singh just broke the Commonwealth Games record to top the rankings in the men’s 60kg weightlifting event. Then his troublesome knee gave out.

Clean and jerk became less about lifting weights and more about fighting pain. At the end of the evening in Glasgow, the Indian settled for silver. However, when he stepped off the platform, the color of the medal mattered far less than what it represented.

Rishikanta became the first male weightlifter from Manipur to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games, carving out a place in the sporting history of the state that has produced some of India’s best weightlifters.

THE GOLD THAT WILL LEARN

The 28-year-old looked destined to make it to the top step after producing a record-breaking lift of 121kg at the Commonwealth Games. This gave him the overall lead going into the clean and jerk, where he needed one more strong performance to claim gold.

But the injury suffered just a week before the competition returned at the worst possible moment.

Rishikanta was able to successfully complete a lift of 143 kg, but failed in his attempts at 148 kg and 151 kg as his injured knee prevented him from developing the strength needed to push the bar overhead. He finished with a total of 264kg, good enough for silver but not the gold he traveled to Glasgow hoping to win.

“I came for the gold. I was in the lead after the jerk but my knee was giving me trouble. I was able to clean the weight but I couldn’t push because one thigh wasn’t working properly. I tried my best,” Rishikanta told PTI.

He later revealed that securing a medal became a priority as the injury worsened.

“I told Guruji that we should do one lift to secure the medal and then push. I didn’t want to lose the medal,” he said.

A FIRST FOR MANIPUR

But for Manipura, Rishikant’s silver meant much more than second place.

The northeastern state has long been considered the heart of India’s weightlifting, producing world-class athletes and international medalists, especially on the women’s side. Still, it is notable that no male weightlifter from Manipur has represented India at the Commonwealth Games before.

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Rishikanta changed that in Glasgow, becoming the first male Commonwealth Games medalist in the sport.

THE WAY OF PERSEVERANCE

His rise was influenced by perseverance as much as talent.

Growing up in a humble household in Manipur, Rishikanta watched his father work as a day laborer while the family struggled with financial difficulties. He began training at the National Sports Academy in Imphal before coming through India’s elite weightlifting system, later representing the Indian Army and emerging as one of the country’s brightest prospects.

His breakthrough came at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, where a record-breaking performance made him one of India’s strongest medal hopes heading into Glasgow.

The gold may have escaped due to an early injury, but Rishikanta returned home with something equally lasting. His silver rewrote history for Manipur and proves that a single medal can mean much more than its color.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

27 Jul 2026 10:14 IST