India’s star weightlifter Meerabai Chanu won the gold medal in the women’s 48kg category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The 31-year-old lifted a total of 190kg to secure India’s first gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, taking the country’s medal tally to three. On the same day, another Indian weightlifter Rishikant Singh won a silver medal for the country.
Weightlifting was India’s highest medal hopes at the tournament and two medals have come from the sport so far. Next up in the men’s 65kg category will be M Raja, from whom India will be hoping for another medal.
In the women’s 48kg category, Chanu failed to lift 82kg in the snatch category. However, he succeeded in his second attempt and set a new Commonwealth Games record by lifting 85 kg in his third attempt.
He only had to lift 105kg once to secure the gold medal in the clean and jerk category. He failed in the first attempt but successfully lifted the weight in the second attempt. Once the medal was assured, he was satisfied with his performance and decided against a third attempt. Nigeria’s Ruth Asuko Nyong won the silver and Malaysia’s Irene Jane Henry the bronze medal.
This is Chanu’s third consecutive gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. He had previously won gold medals at the Glasgow and Birmingham Commonwealth Games. He has won four medals in the history of Commonwealth Games. She began her journey at the Commonwealth level by winning a silver medal in the women’s 48kg category at the 2014 Glasgow Games. Four years later, at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, he won the gold medal with a new record of 196 kg. At the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, he broke his own old record of 201 kg in the 49 kg category to defend his gold medal.
Meerabai Chanu became one of India’s most successful athletes in Commonwealth Games history with one silver and three gold medals in four consecutive events. Apart from the Commonwealth Games, he won a silver medal at the Olympics and a gold and two silver medals at the World Championships.