Ajaya Babu Wins Commonwealth Games Silver After Epic 1kg Battle in Men's 79kg Weightlifting

Valluri Ajaya Babu delivered a sensational performance to clinch the silver medal in the men's 79kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, extending India's impressive run in weightlifting. The 21-year-old lifter from Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, finished with a total lift of 330kg after registering 149kg in snatch and 181kg in clean and jerk during a dramatic contest on Monday night.

Ajaya Babu produced one of the standout performances of the competition, setting a Commonwealth Games record in the snatch with 149kg. After failing his second attempt at the same weight, he bounced back brilliantly on his final lift to top the standings after the opening discipline. England's Chris Murray was second with 148kg, while Malaysia's Erry Hidayat Muhammad managed 147kg.

The battle intensified in the clean and jerk. Hidayat initially lifted 181kg to establish a new Games record before Ajaya immediately matched the feat, taking his total to 330kg and briefly reclaiming the record. However, the Malaysian had the final word, successfully lifting 184kg in his last attempt to finish with a Games-record total of 331kg, edging the Indian by just one kilogram to secure the gold medal. Chris Murray claimed the bronze medal with an overall total of 325kg.

The silver marked India's sixth weightlifting medal at the ongoing Commonwealth Games and further established Ajaya Babu as one of the country's brightest young lifters.

His latest success builds on an impressive rise over the past few years. In 2025, he won the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, claiming gold in the men's 79kg category with a personal-best total of 335kg (152kg snatch + 183kg clean and jerk) while breaking championship records to earn direct qualification for Glasgow 2026. Earlier, at the 2024 Commonwealth Championships in Suva, Fiji, he secured double gold medals in both the junior and senior 81kg categories. He also finished 16th among 39 competitors at the 2025 World Championships in Førde, Norway, underlining his steady rise on the international stage.