India’s Rishikanta Singh won CWG weightlifting silver with a record-breaking show

India’s Chanambam Rishikanta Singh produced a record-breaking performance to win the silver medal in men’s 60kg weightlifting at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday. The Indian finished with a total of 264kg after setting a new Games catch record, but Malaysia’s Mohamad Aniq Bin Kasdan pipped him to gold with a Commonwealth Games record total of 273kg.

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The silver was India’s second medal of the Games after para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar won bronze in the men’s heavyweight category. Kenyan Joshua Amunga Mboya won the bronze medal with a total of 260 kg.

Rishikanta asserted his authority early in the contest with a flawless display in the grab. He cleared 116kg and 119kg comfortably before lifting 121kg in his third attempt to set a new Commonwealth Games record and register a personal best. However, the mark was not left alone for long as Aniq equaled a 121kg lift in his final attempt at the grab.

After the opening discipline at the level of both lifters, the fight for the gold moved to the clean.

Rishikanta opened with a successful lift of 143kg to move to a total of 264kg. He then attempted 148kg but failed, handing the initiative to Aniq who responded by successfully lifting 149kg to move forward.

Rishikanta, who needed 151kg in his final attempt to regain the lead and win the gold, went for a big lift but couldn’t keep it overhead. His total remained at 264kg while Aniq secured the gold with 273kg. Mboya completed the podium after clearing 145kg in his final clean and jerk attempt to finish with 260kg. Despite missing out on the top step of the podium, Rishikant’s record-breaking win and silver medal marked another major achievement in his career.

WHO IS RISHIKANTA SINGH?

Rishikanta qualified for the Commonwealth Games after winning gold at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad. He lifted a career-best total of 271 kg, including a 120 kg snatch and 151 kg clean and jerk, to set a national record in the men’s 60 kg category and book a place in the Indian squad.

The weightlifter from Imphal West, Manipur trained under the Indian Army’s sports program and steadily established himself as one of India’s leading lightweight weightlifters.

Glasgow made their second appearance at the Commonwealth Games after making their debut at Birmingham 2022 in the men’s 55kg category. After changes in international weight categories, he moved to the 60 kg division, where he produced the best performances of his career.

Prior to the Games, Rishikanta finished 11th at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships with a total of 269 kg. He also created a national record catch of 124 kg at the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships before moving up to the 60 kg category.

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Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

26 Jul 2026 16:39 IST