Mirabai Chanu clinches three Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Rishikanta Singh and M Raja also won silver medals at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Sunday, July 26.
- Mirabai Chanu won gold in the women’s 48kg category.
- She lifted 190kg in total, with 85kg in snatch and 105kg in clean and jerk.
- She broke Commonwealth and Commonwealth Games records.
- Rishikanta Singh won silver in the men’s 60kg event.
- M Raja also secured silver, giving India another strong weightlifting finish.
Mirabai Chanu once again showed why she is the heart of Indian weightlifting, winning her third straight Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow and doing it with the kind of grit that makes a champion feel larger than the podium itself. On a day when India needed its biggest names to deliver, she did exactly that, while Rishikanta Singh and M Raja added silver medals to keep the country’s weightlifting tradition shining.
What made Mirabai’s win so moving was not only the gold, but the way she earned it. She had been cutting weight for days, even going without food and water, yet still walked out and produced a performance filled with control, power, and emotion. She lifted 190kg in total, set new Games marks, and then stood on the podium with tears in her eyes as the national anthem played. The tri-coloured ribbons in her hair only made the moment feel more symbolic, as if she were carrying the whole country with her in that final lift.
Her words after the event sounded almost as memorable as the performance itself. The first thing she told reporters was that they should hurry because she had not eaten in two days. That simple line said so much about the physical cost behind the medal. It reminded everyone that elite sport is not just strength and celebration; it is sacrifice, discipline, and often pain that the public never sees.
There was emotion in Mirabai’s victory, but also relief. She spoke about the pressure from family and friends and admitted that she had not expected to push herself so hard at these Games. That honesty made her win feel human, not just heroic. Even athletes who are used to winning still carry doubt, expectation, and the weight of other people’s hopes. Mirabai’s story keeps reminding people that greatness often comes with a very ordinary kind of nervousness behind it.
Rishikanta Singh’s silver added another layer to the day. He had started brilliantly, matching the Commonwealth Games record in the snatch, and for a while gold seemed possible. But two missed clean and jerk attempts changed the shape of the competition. Still, a silver medal at this level is no small achievement, and it underlined just how strong Manipur’s grip on Indian weightlifting remains. With Mirabai and Rishikanta both on the podium, the state once again showed why it has become such an important source of champions.
The bigger picture is simple: India arrived in the weightlifting hall expecting medals, and its lifters delivered. That matters because these performances are about more than one day’s results. They build confidence for younger athletes, strengthen a sport that often works away from the spotlight, and give fans the kind of proud moment that lasts well beyond the event itself. Mirabai’s gold, especially, will be remembered not only for the numbers, but for the emotion behind them.
For many viewers, this was the kind of sporting day that feels personal. You can hear the strain in the lift, see the tears on the podium, and feel the relief in the athlete’s voice afterward. Mirabai Chanu did not just win another title in Glasgow. She gave Indian sport one of those rare moments where excellence, sacrifice, and emotion all arrive together.