Indian boxers dominate Commonwealth Championship, 10 athletes advance to finals

On the fourth day of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, another good piece of news was announced for India. Rajya Mutupandi demonstrated outstanding performance in the men's 65 kg weight division, winning a silver medal.

Weightlifting Competition Results

Mutupandi lifted a total of 286 kilograms (126 kg in the snatch and 160 kg in the clean and jerk), securing second place. The gold medal in this discipline was won by Ajanil Bin Bidin Muhammad from Malaysia, who set a new Commonwealth Games record by lifting a total of 299 kilograms. The bronze medal was won by Moria Baru from Papua New Guinea.

The Battle for Medals

The competition between Rajya Mutupandi and Moria Baru for the silver medal continued until the very last attempt. If Baru had managed to complete his final clean and jerk attempt, the silver might have remained with him, but he failed. This allowed Mutupandi to secure a bronze medal for India. This marked India's fourth medal at the current Commonwealth Games. On the same fourth day, Mirabai Chanu won gold in weightlifting, and Rishikant Singh won silver. Additionally, para-weightlifter Jandu Kumar brought India its first medal in the Paralympics.

A Difficult Path to Success

Rajya Mutupandi's success conceals many years of struggle. He previously showed his talent by winning gold and silver at the Commonwealth Junior and Youth Championships in 2017. After that, he became a rising star among the country's weightlifters, winning national titles in 2019 and 2022. However, during the 2019 Commonwealth Games, he tore a ligament in his right elbow while performing the snatch. After surgery, he had to be absent from sports for a long time. Even after his return, he was not included in the Indian team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which dashed his dream.

Achievements After Injury

Rajya Mutupandi did not give up. In 2024, he broke the national record by lifting 289 kg in the 61 kg category. He then won a silver medal at the 2025 Commonwealth Games and set a personal best of 299 kg (130 kg in the snatch + 169 kg in the clean and jerk) at the World Championships held in Norway. By finishing ninth at the World Championships, he strengthened his chances for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Course of Competition

At the start of the snatch round, things were not smooth for Mutupandi, and he could not complete the first attempt. Nevertheless, he made an impressive comeback, successfully lifting 126 kg. On the other hand, Bidin from Malaysia gained an advantage by consistently lifting 130 and 133 kg. Athletes from Sri Lanka, Nigeria, and Papua New Guinea also created serious competition in the clean and jerk. Mutupandi failed to complete his first attempt of 158 kg but returned to the fight, lifting 160 kg. Although Bidin almost secured the gold by lifting 162 and then 166 kg, Mutupandi risked attempting 170 kg in hopes of gold but failed to complete this attempt. Nevertheless, his total weight of 286 kg was enough to earn silver.

Now, the hopes of Indian fans are placed on Bindhyarani Devi, Valluri Ajay Babu, and Gyaneshwari Yadav, who will represent India in weightlifting.

At the upcoming National Games (CWG 2026), India faces the task not only of winning medals but also of maintaining the tradition of being among the top five countries, a streak that has been consistent for the last two decades since the games in Manchester in 2002. However, the current competition format and the absence of some sports strong for India complicate this task.

Format and Scale of CWG 2026

The games, which begin in Glasgow on Thursday, July 23, include only 10 sports. Approximately 3000 athletes from about 74 countries will participate across four sporting venues. This edition was designed to reduce costs, with a budget of around 160 million pounds sterling, which is about 60 percent less than in Birmingham in 2022.

Challenges for the Indian Team

The main obstacle for India is the exclusion of disciplines such as hockey, wrestling, badminton, table tennis, and shooting from the program. These sports accounted for almost half of the 61 medals won by India in Birmingham 2022. Consequently, the entire responsibility now falls on boxing, athletics, and weightlifting.

Expectations from Athletics

India has sent a team of 32 to athletics, which will compete in 22 competitive disciplines. The greatest attention is focused on Niraj Chopra, a two-time Olympic medalist. Nevertheless, the men's javelin throw promises to be difficult: Rumesh Tharanga from Sri Lanka recently made a splash by throwing the implement 92.62 meters, and Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is also a strong contender for the gold medal, requiring Chopra to be in peak condition.

In addition, India is expected to win medals in high jump by Sarvesh Kushare, long jump by Murili Shrishankar, triple jump by Pravin Chitravel, as well as in the men's and women's 4x400 meter relay.

Merabai Chanu and Weightlifting

Attention is focused on Merabai Chanu, the Olympic silver medalist in weightlifting, in all circles. Merabai has already won gold at two previous national games and intends to take a third consecutive gold. However, India faces a challenge here too: because many weightlifters failed doping tests during the national camp, India will field only 11 athletes, which may limit the potential number of medals.

Boxing as a Strength

Boxing is considered one of India's strongest areas. Lovlina Borgohain (75 kg) will seek her first medal at the National Games. World champion Jasmyn Lamboria (57 kg) will try to turn the bronze won in Birmingham into gold. Strong contenders also include Preeti Pawar (54 kg), Sakshi Chaudhary (51 kg), and Arundhati Chaudhary (70 kg). In the men's division, medals are expected from Narendra Berwal (+90 kg) and Sachin Siva (60 kg).

Other Disciplines and Schedule

India also hopes for success in Lawn Bowls, Judo, and among para-athletes. In Birmingham 2022, India achieved a historic result in Lawn Bowls, winning gold in the women's team event and silver in the men's. This year, the team aims to repeat this success. The goal in Judo is to surpass the three medals won last time, and Indian para-athletes can make a significant contribution to the medal tally in six para-disciplines.

The National Games are scheduled to start on July 23. The first day will be dedicated to Lawn Bowls, featuring group matches in men's singles and women's doubles. The official opening will take place at 22:30 IST. Starting from July 24, competitions in boxing, gymnastics, para-powerlifting, and swimming will begin. Weightlifting starts on July 26, athletics on July 27, cycling on July 30, and judo on July 31.