India’s weightlifting contingent has had plenty to celebrate at the 2026 Commonwealth Games with Mirabai Chanu producing the best performance of the campaign so far.
Competing in the women’s 48kg category at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow, Chanu produced a total lift of 190kg — 85kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk — breaking Games records across all three categories on her way to gold. It’s a result that instantly cements her place among India’s greatest weightlifters and gives the country its first gold medal of the Glasgow Games.
What makes the win especially significant is the history behind it. This was Chanu’s third consecutive individual Commonwealth Games gold, following her titles at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022, and it makes her only the second Indian athlete ever — after wrestler Vinesh Phogat — to win three straight individual golds at the Games. Counting her silver at Glasgow 2014, it’s also her fourth Commonwealth Games medal overall, a run that now spans four editions and more than a decade of competition. For anyone following Mirabai Chanu gold CWG 2026 coverage, the achievement lands as much on the record books as it does on the scoreboard.
The competition itself unfolded with the kind of composure Chanu has become known for. She opened the snatch with an unsuccessful attempt at 82kg before coming back to clear it on her second try, then pushed on to a Commonwealth record 85kg on her third lift. In the clean and jerk, she stumbled early — missing her opening attempt at 82kg — before recovering with a clean 82kg on her second try and then producing a commanding 105kg lift to seal the gold with a new Games record. By that point, her lead over the field was substantial enough that she chose to skip her final attempt altogether, a decision made partly with an eye on the Asian Games later this year. It capped what’s become a familiar script for Chanu at the Commonwealth stage: control the snatch, seal it in the clean and jerk, and leave little doubt about the outcome.
She wasn’t the only Indian weightlifter to make an impact on the day. Chanambam Rishikanta Singh opened India’s weightlifting account with a silver medal in the men’s 60kg category, reportedly competing through injury to get onto the podium. Later, Raja Muthupandi added a second silver in the men’s 65kg event, finishing with a total lift of 286kg (126kg snatch, 160kg clean and jerk) — behind only Malaysia’s Aznil Bin Bidin Muhamad, who set Games records across the board with a winning total of 299kg. Papua New Guinea’s Morea Baru rounded out the podium with bronze. Between the two silvers and Chanu’s gold, weightlifting alone accounted for three of India’s four medals through the opening days of competition, continuing the sport’s long-standing reputation as one of the country’s most reliable sources of Commonwealth Games success.
The results pushed India up to eighth on the overall Commonwealth Games India medal tally, with a haul of one gold, two silvers and one bronze after a productive start in Glasgow. Australia continues to dominate the standings by a wide margin, followed by England and hosts Scotland, but India’s early weightlifting form has given the contingent real momentum heading into the sport-heavy stretch of the Games still to come — including athletics, boxing, badminton, and wrestling events where the country traditionally picks up further medals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among those to publicly congratulate Chanu, praising her consistency and calling her an inspiration for Indian sport following her win. Chanu herself described the moment as an emotional one, reflecting on the sacrifices and injuries that went into reaching a third straight Commonwealth title, and said she hadn’t gone into the competition specifically chasing a record — only focused on executing the lifts her coaching team had planned. That mix of quiet preparation and record-breaking execution has defined her career since her Tokyo Olympics silver medal, and Sunday’s win in Glasgow adds one more milestone to an already decorated résumé.
With the Games running through early August, India’s weightlifting team will hope Sunday’s results are the start of a broader medal push. The Indian contingent numbers 122 athletes across eight able-bodied sports and five integrated para disciplines, and with several more weightlifters, boxers, and athletes yet to compete, the country’s position on the Glasgow 2026 medal table looks set to keep shifting in the days ahead. For now, though, the headline belongs to Mirabai Chanu — a hat-trick of golds, a fresh set of Games records, and a reminder of why she remains the face of Indian weightlifting on the world stage.
