Rishikanta Singh claims silver with record-breaking snatch lifts

Indian lifter Chanambam Rishikanta Singh brought glory to his nation by winning silver in the men's 60kg weightlifting category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He finished with an impressive combined total of 264kg. His performance featured a stunning 121kg lift in the snatch and 143kg in the clean and jerk. This victory gave India its first silver medal of the ongoing tournament, following para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar’s bronze. Indian athletes have traditionally dominated weightlifting at the Commonwealth level, consistently finishing near the top of the medal table in this discipline over the last three decades.

Setting New Benchmarks

Rishikanta started his event with extreme confidence. He cleared 116kg on his first snatch attempt before raising the bar to 119kg. For his third and final try, he successfully hoisted 121kg. This outstanding feat established a new Commonwealth Games snatch record and marked his personal best. However, Malaysian competitor Mohamad Aniq Kasdan quickly matched this 121kg effort. Both men stood tied on the leaderboard heading into the final stage of competition.

Moving into the clean and jerk segment, Rishikanta recorded a safe 143kg lift on his initial attempt to briefly grab the overall lead. Kasdan answered back forcefully by clearing 145kg, followed by a commanding 149kg lift. This pushed the Malaysian ahead with a 270kg total, forcing the Indian contender to rethink his final strategy and adjust his target weight upwards.

Looking to regain first place, Rishikanta attempted a 151kg lift for his final turn. He completed the clean phase but could not hold the jerk, effectively ending his push for the top podium spot. Kasdan ultimately lifted 152kg to secure gold with a record combined total of 273kg. Meanwhile, Kenyan lifter Joshua Mboya walked away with bronze after lifting a final total of 260kg overall.

With Inputs from Agency Threads and Photo Courtesy: ANI