Golden Grip: Amritsar's Weightlifting Warrior Lovepreet Singh Strengthens India To CWG 2026 Silver

Lovepreet Singh is one of India's finest heavyweight weightlifters, hailing from Bal Sikander village in Punjab's border district of Amritsar.

Coming from a humble family, his father works as a tailor while his grandfather earned a living selling vegetables.

Encouraged by his family to pursue sport instead of joining the family profession, Lovepreet began weightlifting at the age of 13 at the DAV Ground in Amritsar.

Years of perseverance transformed him into one of India's leading lifters in the super-heavyweight division.

After winning bronze at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, Lovepreet returned stronger in Glasgow and upgraded his medal to silver with one of the finest performances of his career.

Lovepreet produced a sensational performance in the men's +110kg event, lifting a combined 388kg (176kg in snatch and 212kg in clean and jerk) to secure India's silver medal.

The highlight of his campaign came in the snatch, where he comfortably lifted 168kg, 173kg, and then smashed the Commonwealth Games record with a flawless 176kg in his final attempt.

The remarkable lift handed him a commanding 10kg advantage heading into the clean and jerk, making him the favourite for gold.

One Kilogram Short Of Gold

New Zealand's David Andrew Liti staged a dramatic comeback in the clean and jerk. While Lovepreet successfully matched his personal best of 212kg, he opted for an ambitious 217kg in his final attempt a lift that would have secured gold and broken another Games record.

Although he managed to clean the weight, he couldn't complete the jerk overhead.

That left the door open for Liti, who lifted a Games-record 223kg in clean and jerk to claim gold with a total of 389kg, edging Lovepreet by a solitary kilogram.

England's Andrew Griffith completed the podium with bronze after lifting 356kg.

India's Heavyweight Hero

Despite narrowly missing gold, Lovepreet's silver ended India's brief medal drought in weightlifting and helped the country conclude its campaign in the sport with eight medals- one gold, six silver and one bronze.

Reflecting on his performance, Lovepreet admitted he was disappointed to miss out on gold but remained proud of his effort.

"I thought I would win gold after snatch, but it was up to God. I'm a little disappointed I couldn't complete my final clean and jerk attempt because I've lifted more in training."

From a village gym in Punjab to rewriting Commonwealth Games record books, Lovepreet Singh's journey continues to inspire India's next generation of weightlifters.