Silver on Day 4 for India’s Muthupandi

Indian weightlifter Raja Muthupandi delivered a composed performance to secure the silver medal in the men’s 65kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Sunday. The 26-year-old from Tamil Nadu lifted a total of 286kg, finishing behind Malaysia’s Muhamad Aznil Bidin, who set a new Games record of 299kg for the gold. Papua New Guinea’s Morea Baru took the bronze with 282kg.

Muthupandi’s journey to the podium was marked by resilience. In the snatch portion, he missed his opening attempt at 126kg but recovered on his second try to lock in that weight. A final effort at 129kg didn’t succeed, leaving him with a snatch best of 126kg. In the clean and jerk, he again faltered on the first lift at 158kg before clearing 160kg on his second attempt. That successful lift pushed his total to 286kg and briefly put him atop the leaderboard. A final attempt at 165kg, which would have pressured the gold, was unsuccessful.

The medal is India’s fourth of the Games and the third from weightlifting on Day 4, underscoring the country’s strength in the sport at this edition. Muthupandi’s silver adds to a growing tally and keeps India in the medal hunt early in the competition.

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Raja Muthupandi’s silver continues a strong showing for Indian weightlifting at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. With three medals already from the sport by Day 4, the Indian contingent is demonstrating depth across weight categories. Muthupandi’s performance, while not without early missteps, highlights the mental toughness needed at this level—recovering after missed lifts in both disciplines to secure a podium finish.

Malaysia’s Aznil Bidin proved too strong with a record-breaking total, but Muthupandi’s consistency when it counted—particularly nailing the 160kg clean and jerk on his second attempt—ensured India collected another medal. The 26-year-old’s achievement will also boost his profile ahead of future international meets, including the Asian Championships.