Indian weightlifter Gyaneshwari Yadav earned a silver medal in the women’s 53kg event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Her performance included a personal-best total of 199kg, comprising an 88kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk. This achievement was acknowledged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who congratulated her on social media platform X, highlighting her personal best and expressing hope that her success would inspire young athletes across India.
The competition in the women’s 53kg final was closely contested, particularly in the clean and jerk segment. Gyaneshwari delivered a 111kg clean and jerk on her final lift, maintaining India’s hopes for a gold medal. However, Onome Omolola Didih of Nigeria also successfully lifted 111kg, securing the gold medal and leaving Gyaneshwari with the silver.
Earlier in the clean and jerk, Gyaneshwari had comfortably cleared 103kg in her opening attempt, keeping her firmly in the medal race. She then successfully lifted 107kg, putting pressure on Didih. The Nigerian lifter responded by increasing her opening attempt from 100kg to 105kg, which she also completed, maintaining her lead. Didih further extended her lead by lifting 110kg, setting new Commonwealth Games records before the final attempts by both lifters at 111kg.
Bindyarani Devi prepares for women’s 58kg final
Attention now shifts to Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam, who is set to compete in the women’s 58kg weightlifting final. The 27-year-old from Manipur is considered a strong contender for a medal. She is a former world champion in the clean and jerk discipline and previously secured a silver medal in the 55kg category at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
During her Birmingham 2022 campaign, Bindyarani achieved a Games record of 116kg in the clean and jerk, which also stood as a national record. Since transitioning to the 58kg category, she has continued to perform well, earning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships earlier this year. In that competition, she recorded a career-best total of 206kg, consisting of a 91kg snatch and a 115kg clean and jerk.
For the upcoming final, Bindyarani’s opening snatch attempt is set at 85kg, placing her among the leading participants. Other strong competitors include Rafiatu Folashade Lawal of Nigeria, who has an opening attempt of 90kg, and Ann Sophie Taschereau of Canada, with a 93kg snatch entry and a 113kg clean and jerk. The competition is anticipated to be intense, with many of the Commonwealth’s top lifters vying for medals.
Athletics and Swimming updates
In athletics, Murali Sreeshankar and Lokesh Sathyanathan have both advanced to the men’s long jump final. Sreeshankar achieved a best jump of 8.01m, while Sathyanathan recorded a best effort of 7.77m. Additionally, Tejas Shirse qualified for the men’s 110m hurdles final, finishing third in his heat with a time of 13.76s.
However, Gurindervir Singh did not progress in the men’s 100m event. He finished 28th overall in the heats with a time of 10.39 seconds, with only the top 17 athletes qualifying for the semifinals. Despite a promising start in Heat 4, where he competed from lane five, he faded in the final meters. Rohan Watson of Jamaica won that heat in 10.13 seconds. Gurindervir’s time was below his personal best and national record of 10.09 seconds, which he set earlier in the year at the Federation Cup in Ranchi. Benjamin Azamati and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu of Ghana were the fastest qualifiers from the heats, clocking 10.00 seconds and 10.01 seconds respectively.
In swimming, Sajan Prakash secured a spot in the men’s 200m butterfly final with a time of 1:59.58. Swatik Patil also qualified for the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final, recording the sixth-fastest time in the heats at 1:15.85.
Boxing and Artistic Gymnastics results
In boxing, Sachin Siwach advanced to the men’s 60kg quarter-finals after a 4-1 split-decision victory over William Hewitt of England. Ankush Panghal also moved into the men’s 80kg quarter-finals, achieving a 5-0 win against Zalaan Jan of Antigua and Barbuda in the Round of 16. In artistic gymnastics, Protistha Samanta finished seventh in the women’s vault final on July 27, 2026.
Source: indiatoday.in
