India's New Weightlifting Sensation Valluri Ajaya Babu Leaves Glasgow With Silver

Valluri Ajaya Babu produced one of India's standout performances at the Commonwealth Games 2026, clinching silver in the men's 79kg weightlifting event after a thrilling battle for gold. The 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh lifted a Games-record 149kg in the snatch and followed it up with 181kg in the clean and jerk, finishing with a total of 330kg. He briefly moved into the gold-medal position with his final lift, only for Malaysia's Erry Hidayat Muhammad to respond with a decisive 184kg clean and jerk to edge him by a single kilogram. The silver marked India's sixth weightlifting medal of the Games and continued the nation's impressive run in Glasgow, while also enhancing Ajaya Babu's growing reputation as one of India's brightest weightlifting prospects.