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India's Raja Muthupandi capped a memorable comeback by clinching the silver medal in the men's 65kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Sunday (local time), giving the country its third medal of the day and continuing a strong showing by the Indian weightlifting contingent.
According to ESPN, the 26-year-old finished with a combined total of 286kg, lifting 126kg in the snatch and 160kg in the clean and jerk to secure second place on the podium. Malaysia's Aznil Bin Bidin Muhamed claimed the gold medal with a Commonwealth Games record total of 299kg, sealing his third successive Commonwealth Games title after victories at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022. Raja opened his campaign strongly by recording a best lift of 126kg in the snatch on his second attempt. He followed it up with a successful 160kg lift in the clean and jerk, also on his second attempt, to finish with an overall total of 286kg and earn India's latest medal in Glasgow. The silver capped an impressive comeback for Raja, whose career was nearly derailed by a serious elbow ligament injury in 2019. The rehabilitation process was further disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, while a shift to a higher weight category coincided with Jeremy Lalrinnunga's rise, forcing Raja out of contention for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. He worked his way back into the national setup after the introduction of the 65kg category and produced encouraging performances on the international stage, including a ninth-place finish at the 2025 World Championships with a personal-best total of 299kg. The silver medal added to India's rich haul in weightlifting on Sunday. Earlier, Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu secured a third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women's 48kg category, while Chanambam Rishikanta Singh claimed silver in the men's 60kg event. With Raja's podium finish, India collected its third medal of the day, all coming from weightlifting, underlining the sport's continued contribution to the country's Commonwealth Games campaign. Elsewhere, India's boxing campaign suffered its first setback of the Games after Aditya Pratap Yadav bowed out in the men's competition. The Indian pugilist lost his pre-quarterfinal bout to Uganda's Nuhu Batte by a narrow 3-2 split decision, marking India's first boxing defeat at Glasgow 2026. (ANI)
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