Glasgow, July 27 — Weightlifting Federation of India (WFI) President Sahdev Yadav expressed mixed feelings regarding India's weightlifting performance so far at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2026, noting room for improvement while praising ace lifter Mirabai Chanu's golden performance.
Yadav praised star lifter Mirabai for a measured approach with long-term goals. Mirabai won her fourth Commonwealth Games medal, having won silver in the 48kg category at Glasgow 2014 before striking gold at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist finished with a total lift of 190 kg (85 kg snatch + 105 kg clean and jerk), breaking the Games records in all three categories – snatch, clean and jerk and overall total in Glasgow Games on Sunday.
"As for Mirabai, she delivered a solid performance without overexerting herself, as we are strategically preparing her for a 1kg higher weight category at the upcoming Asian Games," Yadav said.
Muthupandi Raja claimed silver in the men's 65kg event with a total of 286kg (126kg+160kg). He opened with a successful 125kg snatch before improving to 126kg on his second attempt.
Raja was unable to clear 129kg with his final lift. In the clean and jerk, he successfully lifted 158kg and 160kg before failing at 170kg in his final attempt.
"I am not entirely satisfied with Raja's performance. Having lifted 172 kg previously, a successful series of attempts would have allowed him to pose a real challenge to the gold medallist. At this level, a single missed lift makes a significant difference," Yadav told IANS.
He added that considering Raja's age, the federation is now shifting focus toward developing the next generation of weightlifters.
Earlier, Rishikanta Singh opened India's weightlifting campaign with a silver medal in the men's 60kg event. The 28-year-old weightlifter from Manipur finished with a combined lift of 264kg (121kg+143kg), the second-best in an 11-lifter field.
Commenting on Rishikanta, the WFI chief pointed out a critical moment that affected the final standings. "Rishikanta performed okay. However, there was a slight shortfall in his performance—the lift that should have been approved/passed failed, which impacted the colour of the medal. In the men's section, we missed out on both gold medals," he noted.
India will be aiming for medals in the events; Men's 71kg, women's 53kg and women's 58kg, on Monday. Yadav said hopefully India will take one gold, one silver and one bronze.