Weightlifter Rishikanta Singh brought India its first silver medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 edition on Sunday. The 28-year-old emerged as the second-best among 11 participants in the men’s 60kg category, and this performance helped India secure its second medal of the 23rd edition of the Games. Earlier, para powerlifter Jhandu Kumar had won a bronze medal in the men’s heavyweight category.
Malaysia’s Bin Kasdan Mohamad Aniq won the gold medal in the men’s 60kg category while Kenya’s Joshua Amunga Mboya won the bronze.
In the snatch category, Rishikanta began with a lift of 116kg and nailed it on his first attempt, moving ahead of the rest of the competitors. In the second attempt, Rishikanta lifted 119kg, while his third attempt saw him lifting 121kg. All three attempts were successful, and his best lift was 121kg in the snatch category. The lift of 121kg also meant that Rishikanta registered both a personal and Commonwealth Games snatch record.
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After the end of the snatch category, Rishikanta was at the top spot with a lift of 121kg, and it all depended on the clean and jerk lifts, as Malaysia’s Bin Kasdan Mohamad Aniq also lifted 121kg in the snatch category.
In the clean and jerk section, Rishikanta lifted 143kg in his first attempt. However, he failed to lift 148kg on his second attempt, paving the way for the Malaysian to tighten his grip on the top spot.
Aniq then lifted 149kg in his second attempt, and this put further pressure on the Indian, and the weightlifter had to lift 151kg in his last try to have any chance of winning the gold medal.
Rishikanta, however, failed to lift 151kg and thus finished second, winning the silver medal in the men’s 60kg category. The overall total for Rishikanta was 264kg while the Malaysian counterpart finished with 273kg.
All you need to know about Rishikanta
Rishikanta discovered weightlifting at a young age and began developing his skills at the National Sports Academy in Khuman Lampak, Imphal. One of the defining moments of his career came at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad. Competing in the men’s 60 kg category, Rishikanta delivered the finest performance of his career by lifting a combined 271 kilograms, 120 kg in the snatch and 151 kg in the clean and jerk, to claim the gold medal.
The effort not only secured the Commonwealth title but also set a national record in the category, earning him direct qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games. At the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships, Rishikanta finished 11th against an exceptionally competitive international field, underlining his ability to compete with the world’s best.
Earlier, he had represented India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, gaining valuable experience on one of the biggest stages in international sport. Domestically, Singh has consistently remained among India’s leading weightlifters. During the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships, he set the Indian national snatch record of 124 kilograms in the men’s 61 kg division, showcasing his remarkable technical ability.
