- Indian Rishikanta won silver at Commonwealth Games weightlifting event.
- He broke Games record in snatch, lifting 121kg.
- Rishikanta lifted 264kg total, placing second to Malaysia.
- He dedicated his medal to PM Modi and government.
India’s Commonwealth Games 2026 silver medallist Rishikanta Singh Chanambam dedicated his historic medal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, crediting the government’s support for Indian sport after producing a record-breaking performance in the men’s 60kg weightlifting event in Glasgow on Sunday.
“I dedicate this silver medal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire nation,” Rishikanta told IANS in an exclusive interaction after his podium finish. “I fought very hard, and today I won a silver medal. I am very happy. This medal that I won today isn’t mine; it belongs to everyone, to all of India. To everyone who supported—the Indian Government, the Indian Weightlifting Federation, the supporting staff, and my circle of friends… this is for everyone.”
India registered its first medal of Day 4 as Manipur’s Rishikanta ,clinched the silver medal in men’s 71kg weightlifting with a total combined lift of 264kg behind Malaysia’s Bin Kasdan Mohamad Aniq who ended with 273kg. Kenya’s Joshua Amunga Mboya completed the podium with 260kg.
Rishikanta started his campaign with a scintillating performance in snatch as he broke the Commonwealth Games record. After successfully making two lifts of 116kg and 119kg, the Indian weightlifter successfully managed to lift 121kg after facing immense pressure on his final attempt in the snatch. His spectacular lift broke the 120kg mark and briefly set him ahead of Aniq before the latter matched the mark.
The Indian began clean and jerk with a successful 143kg lift and faced some trouble with his subsequent attempt of 148kg, failing to clear. For a final shot at gold, Rishikanta requested a 151kg weight on his last lift, which he successfully cleared for a clean but it just fell short in the jerk portion. This sealed his total at 264kg.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian went on to secure a gold medal after his attempt of 149kg followed by a successful 152kg clean and jerk ultimately taking his total to a Games record of 273kg.
Though he missed out on gold, Rishikanta remained thankful to all those people who contributed towards his journey, especially his coach.
“I take my Guru’s name, Vijay Sharma, under whom I train, the Indian Chief Coach. He taught us a lot about how to compete and how to train. I had no doubts about my training. I was completely focused… first, I dedicate this to our Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi because he has given a lot of benefits to our sports,” he said.
