CWG 2026: Weightlifting Star Lovepreet Singh Wins Record Silver, Seema Bags Discus Bronze

Weightlifter Lovepreet Singh produced the performance of his career, breaking the Commonwealth Games snatch record before settling for a heartbreaking silver medal, while Seema Kaliramna added a bronze in women's discus throw as India enjoyed another rewarding day at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.

Lovepreet came agonisingly close to winning gold in the men's weightlifting event after lifting a Games-record 176kg in the snatch. Carrying a healthy 10kg lead into the clean and jerk, the Punjab lifter looked destined for the top step of the podium before New Zealand's David Andrew Liti responded with a stunning Games-record 223kg final lift. Lovepreet's brave attempt at 217kg fell short, leaving him with a total of 388kg, just one kilogram behind Liti's winning mark of 389kg.

Despite missing gold, Lovepreet improved on the bronze medal he won in Birmingham four years ago and capped India's weightlifting campaign with a tally of eight medals—one gold, six silver and one bronze. Teenage lifter Martina Devi also impressed on her Games debut, recovering from two failed snatch attempts to finish fifth in the women's +86kg category.

India's second medal of the day came in athletics through Seema Kaliramna, who claimed bronze in the women's discus throw with a best effort of 58.65m. The 27-year-old, who returned to competition after becoming a mother and is pursuing a PhD, secured her podium finish despite recording three consecutive fouls. Fellow Indian Nidhi Rani narrowly missed out on a medal after finishing fourth.

There was more encouraging news in the men's javelin throw as Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, along with Rohit Yadav and Yashvir Singh, qualified for Friday's final in difficult, windy conditions. None of the competitors managed to breach the automatic qualification mark, but all three Indians progressed based on their performances. Chopra later admitted that the challenging wind conditions made the event unusually difficult for every thrower.

India also remained in contention for more athletics medals with Praveen Chithravel and Selva Prabhu advancing to the men's triple jump final, while Tejaswin Shankar ended the opening day of the decathlon in second place, just 14 points behind leader Damian Warner of Canada.

The day, however, also brought a few disappointments. Asian Games champion Tajinderpal Singh Toor finished fifth in the men's shot put, extending India's wait for its first Commonwealth Games medal in the event. National record holders Animesh Kujur and Vishal TK were unable to progress to the finals of the men's 200m and 400m respectively.

Away from athletics, India's men's lawn bowls pair of Navneet Singh and Dinesh Kumar maintained their unbeaten run with a hard-fought victory over Botswana, strengthening their chances of reaching the knockout stage. In cycling, para cyclist Lisha Das failed to advance beyond qualification, while the Indian men's sprint team finished seventh.