Meet Ajaya Babu: India’s rising weightlifting star who won CWG 2026 silver | Other Sports News

India’s weightlifting pipeline has unearthed another exciting talent. Twenty-one-year-old Valluri Ajaya Babu showcased his immense potential by clinching the silver medal in the men’s 79kg event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after an edge-of-the-seat battle with Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad.

The youngster from Andhra Pradesh not only finished on the podium but also rewrote the Commonwealth Games record books multiple times before falling just one kilogram short of gold. His performance further underlined India’s growing dominance in weightlifting, earning the country its sixth medal in the sport at the Games.

A silver decided by just one kilogram

Ajaya Babu opened strongly in the snatch competition, comfortably clearing 145kg in his first attempt. After failing to lift 149kg in his second try, he bounced back in style to clear the weight in his final attempt, setting a new Commonwealth Games record and taking the lead into the clean and jerk phase.

He finished the snatch section ahead of England’s Chris Murray (148kg) and Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad (147kg), putting himself in prime position for gold.

The clean and jerk turned into a thrilling contest between the Indian and the Malaysian.

Hidayat first lifted 181kg to establish a new Games record. Moments later, Ajaya Babu matched and then bettered the feat by successfully lifting 181kg on his final attempt, taking his overall tally to 330kg.

However, Hidayat produced the lift of the competition with 184kg in his final attempt, finishing with a Games record total of 331kg (147kg snatch + 184kg clean and jerk) to snatch the gold medal by the narrowest of margins.

Rapid rise through the ranks

Ajaya Babu’s Commonwealth Games success is the latest milestone in a rapid rise over the past two years.

He announced himself on the international stage by winning double gold medals in both the junior and senior men’s 81kg categories at the 2024 Commonwealth Championships in Suva, Fiji.

A year later, he dominated the men’s 79kg category at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, lifting a personal-best total of 335kg (152kg snatch and 183kg clean and jerk). The performance broke championship records and secured his direct qualification for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Learning from the world’s best

Before arriving in Glasgow, Ajaya Babu tested himself against the world’s elite at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships in Forde, Norway, where he finished 16th in a highly competitive field of 39 lifters.

Although he missed out on the Commonwealth Games gold by a single kilogram, the 21-year-old demonstrated that he has the talent, temperament and consistency to challenge the world’s best. With age firmly on his side, Ajaya Babu’s silver medal could well be the beginning of a long and successful international career.