Glasgow, July 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s Rishikanta Singh Chanambam added another significant chapter to his weightlifting career by winning the silver medal in the men’s 60kg category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, while also setting a new Games record in the snatch event.
The 28-year-old lifter from Manipur secured India’s first medal on Day 4 of the Games with a combined lift of 264kg. His standout performance came in the snatch, where he successfully lifted 121kg to establish a new Commonwealth Games record before Malaysia’s Bin Kasdan Mohamad Aniq equalled the mark later in the competition. Aniq went on to win gold with a Games-record total of 273kg, while Kenya’s Joshua Amunga Mboya claimed bronze with 260kg.
Born on July 5, 1998, in Imphal West district of Manipur, Rishikanta began weightlifting at the National Sports Academy in Khuman Lampak. His talent took him to the Army Sports Institute in Pune and later to the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala. He also underwent advanced training at Bulgaria’s National Sports Academy Vasil Levski, with the Indian Army playing a key role in his development throughout his career.
Rishikanta first made his mark by winning gold at the Junior Commonwealth Championships in 2016 before capturing the senior Commonwealth Championship title in 2019. He finished sixth at the 2022 Asian Championships and produced a breakthrough performance at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, where he won gold in the 60kg category with a national record total of 271kg.
That performance secured his place at the Glasgow Games. Competing in a higher weight category after participating in the 55kg class at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, he once again demonstrated his consistency on the international stage.
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games, Rishikanta trained at the national coaching camp in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, and also competed at the 2026 Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships before attending an acclimatisation camp at the Warley Weightlifting Club in Birmingham.
With a Commonwealth Games silver medal, Commonwealth Championship titles, a national record and now a Commonwealth Games snatch record to his name, Rishikanta has firmly established himself among India’s leading weightlifters and one of the country’s brightest medal prospects on the international stage.
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