Valluri Ajaya Babu won a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 2026 with a combined total of 330kg
Trained by his father and based at NSNIS Patiala, he boasts multiple international titles
Backed by government assistance, he continues to build on a family legacy of weightlifting excellence for India
Valluri Ajaya Babu delivered a phenomenal performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, securing a remarkable silver medal in a tense and record-breaking duel within the men's 79kg weightlifting category.
Entering the competition with high expectations as a fast-rising star, Ajaya set the tone early during the snatch section. After recovering from a missed second attempt, he successfully hoisted a Commonwealth Games record of 149kg on his final try, finishing at the top of the snatch standings ahead of his international competitors.
The competition reached its peak drama during the clean and jerk phase, turning into a fierce battle for gold against Malaysia's Erry Hidayat Muhammad. Pushed to his absolute limits, Ajaya successfully heaved 181kg to elevate his combined total to an impressive 330kg, momentarily seizing the lead and asserting immense pressure on the field.
Though his rival ultimately edged past him by a mere single kilogram with a final 184kg lift to take the gold, Ajaya's stellar total of 330kg safely secured a brilliant silver medal for India on his major multi-sport games debut, bettering his family's rich legacy on the international stage.
Who Is Ajaya Babu?
Valluri Ajaya Babu was born on 25th November 2004 and hails from Kondavelagada village in the Vizianagaram district of Andhra Pradesh. Immersed in the sport from a young age, he was introduced to weightlifting by his father, Valluri Srinivasa Rao, a former international weightlifter and coach.
After excelling extensively through national competitions, Ajaya joined the Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) at NSNIS, Patiala, which serves as his core training base.
His stellar career profile features a glittering array of achievements, highlighted by a gold medal at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, gold medals in both the junior and senior divisions at the 2024 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, and a silver medal at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships.
Furthermore, he has set a Commonwealth Junior Clean & Jerk record alongside multiple Indian junior national records. To support his continuous elite trajectory, he has received key government interventions, including financial assistance under the ACTC amounting to Rs. 14,01,120/- since the 2022 Commonwealth Games, funding for elite national coaching camps at NSNIS Patiala, support for international competition at the AWF Asian Senior Weightlifting Championship in Gandhinagar, and backing for acclimatization training camps ahead of major games preparations
