Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026: India’s weightlifting campaign begins with Mirabai Chanu
The Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow will see India commence its weightlifting events on Sunday, alongside ongoing competitions in boxing, swimming, and artistic gymnastics. The day is significant for India, with Mirabai Chanu participating as the weightlifting competition starts. Also competing in their respective weight categories are Rishikanta Singh and M Raja.
In boxing, Preeti Pawar and Aditya Pratap Yadav are scheduled to begin their campaigns. Jadumani Singh will face an opponent from Pakistan in the men’s 55kg category second round.
Manipur’s Weightlifting Talent
As the weightlifting competition gets underway, attention will be on Mirabai Chanu in the women’s 48kg category. She aims for a third consecutive Commonwealth Games title. Mirabai returns after an injury and is considered a consistent performer for India.
Five members of India’s weightlifting squad are from Manipur, highlighting the region’s strong presence in the sport. Coach S Brojendro Singh, who coached all five athletes including Mirabai in their early stages, expressed pride in their achievements. He has been coaching at the state sports academy since 2004.
According to Brojendro, Mirabai’s accomplishments have significantly influenced weightlifting in Manipur. He noted that her success inspired many young individuals to take up the sport, believing they could also achieve similar levels of success.
Among those inspired by Mirabai is Nirupama Devi, who won a silver medal at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships. Nirupama will make her CWG debut in the women’s 63kg category. She returned to competition with a total of 217kg at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships after facing injuries, illness, and a break.
Nirupama, who trains under chief national coach Vijay Sharma, stated that Mirabai has been supportive, providing guidance and motivation. Another medal prospect is Martina Devi, competing in the women’s +86kg category. She has had a successful 2026 season, securing both junior and senior national titles after recovering from an ACL injury.
Bindyarani Devi, who earned silver in the women’s 55kg category at the Birmingham CWG, has since moved to the 58kg division. Rishikanta Singh, who narrowly missed a podium finish in Birmingham, also changed categories to 60kg and comes to Glasgow after winning gold at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships.
Indian Team’s Preparations
The entire Indian weightlifting squad concluded its final preparation phase at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall Campus. The team trained there from June 29 until the previous week before travelling to Glasgow.
The training camp provided the team with access to the site’s health and performance suite, where they trained twice daily. This helped the members acclimatise to the UK time zone. Rohit Chhabria, the team’s physiotherapist, described the facilities at Wolverhampton as “world-class.”
The squad has entered weightlifters in 12 categories and is hopeful of securing at least one gold medal in the games. Mark Niemz, senior lecturer in strength and conditioning at the university, expressed that it was a “privilege” to host the athletes.
India has already secured one medal, a bronze, won by Jhandu Singh in the men’s heavyweight para powerlifting event during the initial two days of competition. The bowls competition continues, with Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh aiming for their fourth consecutive victory in the women’s pairs event, and Putul Sonowal participating in the men’s singles.
Indian gymnasts, including Yogeshwar Singh and Tapan Mohanty, will return for the individual all-around finals in the men’s event. The men’s 4x200m freestyle relay heats in swimming will feature Srihari Nataraj, Aryan Nehra, Aneesh Gowda, and Dhakshan Shashikumar.
The schedule for Sunday, July 26, includes Rishikanta Singh in the men’s 60kg final and Mirabai Chanu in the women’s 49kg final, both medal events.
Source: thenewsmill.com
