India’s Nirupama Devi’s Commonwealth Games medal hopes ended when she failed to win overall in the women’s 63kg weightlifting event on Tuesday. The Commonwealth Championship silver medalist looked competitive in the snatch, but suffered a dramatic collapse in the clean and jerk, failing to complete a DNF on all three of her attempts.
A wonderful beginning ended in disappointment
Nirupama started the competition with 93 kg in the snatch but returned to the same weight in the second attempt. She then tried to lift 95 kilograms, but failed to complete the weightlifting, and finally completed the first competition with a best score of 93 kilograms. Her efforts earned her a fifth-place finish in the snatch and kept her firmly in medal contention in the clean and jerk.The 22-year-old, who won silver at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships with a total lift of 217kg (91kg + 126kg), will need to perform well in her preferred event to challenge for the podium.
Three elevator failures
However, the clean and jerk turned out to be disastrous for the Indian weightlifter. Nirupama started with a weight of 123kg, 4kg lower than the 127kg she had successfully lifted at the national championships earlier this year, but Nirupama failed to complete the lift in three attempts. An unsuccessful attempt in the clean and jerk prevented her from finishing overall, and despite remaining in medal contention after the snatch, her campaign was unranked.Maud Charron rewrite the record books Despite Nirupama’s disappointment, Canada’s Maude Charron reaffirmed her dominance in the heavyweight division. The Tokyo Olympic champion broke the Commonwealth Games records in two events, snatching 102kg and clean and jerking 130kg, and finally finished the game with a record-breaking 232kg, winning his third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.England’s Sarah Davis Smale won the silver medal in the 217kg category (95kg + 122kg), and 17-year-old Nauru’s Femilie-Christie Knott won the bronze medal in the 216kg category (100kg + 116kg).Despite Nirupama’s withdrawal, weightlifting remains India’s preeminent sport at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Six of the country’s 10 medals so far have come from weightlifting.
Indian weightlifting medalists at CWG 2026
| athlete | event | medal | Performance details |
|---|---|---|---|
| To Mirabai Chen | Women’s 48kg | gold | raised one The total score of the competition is 190kg (Snatch 85kg + clean and jerk 105kg) catch her Third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal. |
| Chananbam Rishikantha Singh | Men’s 60kg | silver | Registered one Total lifting capacity 264kg (Snatch 121 kg + clean and jerk 143 kg). |
| Raja Muthupandi | Men’s 65kg | silver | Completed one Comprehensive lifting capacity 286 kg (Snatch 126 kg + clean and jerk 160 kg). |
| Janeshwari Yadav | Women’s 53kg | silver | recorded a Total lifting capacity 199kg (Snatch 88 kg + clean and jerk 111 kg). |
| Waluri Ajay Babu | Men’s 79kg | silver | raised one Total 330kg (Snatch 149 kg + clean and jerk 181 kg)set a Commonwealth Games snatch record. |
| Bindyalani Devi | Women’s 58kg | bronze | Claims Bronze Medal Total lifting capacity 199kg (Snatch 87 kg + clean and jerk 112 kg). |
