Indian weightlifter Harjinder Kaur has dedicated her 2026 Commonwealth Games silver medal to her mother and revealed that she is always the first one she calls after winning a major event. Hajinder won silver in the women’s 69kg category with a total lift of 227kg (101kg in snatch and 126kg in clean and jerk), earning her second consecutive Commonwealth Games medal after winning bronze in Birmingham in 2022.“Whenever I win a medal, I usually call my mother first and today was no different; I had a brief chat with her after the game as she was a bit upset that I had been absent from the competition for such a long time,” Harjinder told news agency IANS.The 29-year-old had been in medal contention throughout the competition and finished second with a clean and jerk of 126kg on his final attempt. Although she admitted she was lifting heavier weights in her training, she was pleased with her persistence.“I’m happy with the silver medal. During training, I got better clean and jerks, but I’m satisfied that all six of my lifts worked,” she said.Hajinder also revealed that improving on her previous Commonwealth Games results is one of her biggest goals.“I came here with the intention of changing the color of my medal,” she added.Harkind’s athletic career didn’t begin with weightlifting. She started out as a kabaddi player and regularly cycled five kilometers to attend training sessions. It was only in 2016 when she was studying at Panjab University in Patiala that she turned to weightlifting at the age of 20, a decision that has now helped her become a Commonwealth Games silver medalist.
