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Rishikanta Singh Chanambam claimed India’s second medal at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the men’s 60kg weightlifting final with a combined total of 264kg — including a Commonwealth Games snatch record of 121kg. Malaysia’s Aniq Kasdan took gold with 273kg after a dominant clean and jerk performance of 152kg.
The barbell came down in the final clean and jerk attempt and Rishikanta Singh Chanambam could not get it overhead. In any other context, that would be the image that defines an afternoon — the weight that got away, the gold that slipped through. But look again at what this 28-year-old from Manipur produced at the SEC Arena in Glasgow on Sunday, and the story changes. A Commonwealth Games snatch record. A silver medal. India’s second podium finish of Glasgow 2026. This is a morning to remember, not to rue.
Glasgow, Scotland: Rishikanta Singh Chanambam has secured India’s second medal at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, winning silver in the men’s 60kg weightlifting final after lifting a combined total of 264kg across the snatch and clean and jerk disciplines. The result comes less than 24 hours before Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu takes to the same platform in the women’s 48kg final — and gives India’s weightlifting contingent the perfect launchpad heading into what promises to be a historic evening at the SEC Arena.
A Games Record That Lit Up the Hall
Rishikanta’s 121kg snatch marked a new Games record — a lift that silenced the hall and announced, emphatically, that this was not a man content to settle for participation. The 121kg snatch is 9kg heavier than his personal best in the clean and jerk that would follow, a fact that underlines just how cleanly and completely he executed the first discipline.
Rishikanta had qualified for Glasgow via the 2025 Commonwealth Championships, where he demonstrated the consistency and technique that has made him one of India’s most reliable prospects in the lighter weight categories. On Sunday he delivered on that promise at the biggest stage available to a Commonwealth athlete — and did so with a record-breaking lift that will stand until the next edition of the Games.
The snatch record in place, Rishikanta turned to the clean and jerk with gold still a realistic target. His first successful attempt of 143kg was composed and clean. But the 28-year-old had a comparatively disappointing outing in clean and jerk, which cost him the gold medal as he could only lift 143kg — 9kg less than his personal best in the discipline.
Read More: CWG 2026: Jhandu Kumar wins bronze in men’s heavyweight para powerlifting
The Gold That Got Away — And the Man Who Took It
Rishikanta’s gold chances were hanging by a thread when he missed his attempt at 148kg and Aniq Kasdan lifted 149kg. The Malaysian lifter — ranked among the strongest in the IWF Commonwealth rankings heading into these Games — had been composure personified throughout the final, and his clean and jerk performances were a class above the rest of the field when it mattered.
Rishikanta couldn’t attempt a jerk in his final attempt and dropped the barbell after the clean, settling for silver with a total of 264kg. He lost gold to Aniq Kasdan, who finished with a total of 273kg after a successful lift of 152kg in the clean and jerk competition. The 9kg gap between them at the end was a fair reflection of the clean and jerk phase — though had Rishikanta come anywhere close to his personal best in the discipline, the medal colours could easily have been reversed.
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India’s Second Medal — and the Bigger Picture
The silver is India’s second medal at Glasgow 2026, after Jhandu Kumar’s bronze in men’s heavyweight para powerlifting on Day 2. Both have come from disciplines outside India’s traditional Commonwealth Games powerhouses — a reflection of the Games’ reduced sport programme at Glasgow, which excludes shooting and wrestling, two categories where India has historically piled up medals.
Sunday is a big day for India with gold medal contenders Mirabai Chanu and M Raja both in action in weightlifting. Mirabai — a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, having won gold at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022 — returns to Glasgow, the city where she won her first major multi-sport medal (a silver at the 2014 Games) and where she is now the overwhelming favourite for a historic third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold. Raja Mathupandi competes in the men’s 65kg final later in the evening, giving India the prospect of a remarkable weightlifting treble before the day is out.
For Rishikanta, the silver and the Games record snatch are the just rewards of a career built quietly and consistently away from the spotlight. The barbell came down on his final attempt — but the medal around his neck, and the record in the books, will remain long after the memory of that moment fades.
Result: Rishikanta Singh Chanambam (IND) — Silver, 264kg total (121kg snatch — Games Record + 143kg clean & jerk)
Gold: Aniq Kasdan (MAS) — 273kg (121kg snatch + 152kg clean & jerk)
Bronze: Not confirmed in available sources
India’s CWG 2026 medal tally (after Day 4 morning):
🥈 Rishikanta Singh — Men’s 60kg Weightlifting
🥉 Jhandu Kumar — Men’s Heavyweight Para Powerlifting
(Lovlina Borgohain — Women’s 75kg boxing medal assured; bout July 31)
Upcoming Indian medal events today:
- Mirabai Chanu — Women’s 49kg Weightlifting Final (5:30 PM IST)
- M Raja — Men’s 65kg Weightlifting Final (11 PM IST)
