CWG 2026: Nirupama Devi stumbles as India’s perfect weightlifting streak ends

The scene behind the podium at the SEC Armadillo radiated quiet reassurance from head coach Vijay Sharma offering the latest technical tweaks and star reinforcement to Mirabai Chan, fresh off her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold, and providing constant encouragement from the athletes’ warm-up zone. Despite elite leadership in her corner, debutant Nirupama Devi Seram endured a torturous night to end India’s flawless streak in the weightlifting arena.

CWG 2026 Update Day 5

Until Tuesday’s women’s 63kg final, the Indian weightlifting contingent had operated with relentless efficiency. The six events yielded six medals: gold for talisman Mirabai (women’s 48kg), silver for Rishikanta Singh (men’s 60kg), Raja Muthupandi (men’s 65kg), Gyaneshwari Yadav (women’s 53kg) and Valluri B Ajaya Babu, and bronze along with Devi, men’s (women’s 58kg).

However, Nirupama saw her campaign fall apart almost immediately. The 25-year-old struggled to establish a rhythm, converting only one of her six attempts into an error output. After missing her opening lift, she safely completed 93kg on her second attempt. However, subsequent failures at the same mark and modified 95 kg left her in fifth position and into the break. Screengrab from SonyLiv

Placed outside the top bracket, the Indian took an aggressive gamble in the clean and jerk, starting at an ambitious 123kg – three kilograms shy of her personal best. What followed was a brutal lesson on the edge of international competition. Buoyed by loud cheers from her teammates in the arena stands, Nirupama cleared the bar with relative ease in all three attempts, but the overhead lock proved elusive each time. On her second attempt, she lost control of the top, the bar crashing down behind her, before she failed to muster enough strength in one last gasp.

Nirupama, 25, who registered a ‘Did Not Finish’ (DNF) with no total, watched Canada’s reigning Olympic champion Maude Charron win gold with a Games record 232kg. England’s Sarah Davies Smale and Femily-Crystie Notte from Nauru completed the podium. Screenshot from Glasgow2026

While the defeat halted the historic run, India’s haul of six medals underscores their continued dominance in the sport. Attention now turns to technical adjustments while the remaining riders prepare for the event

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

28 Jul 2026 21:40 IST