Meet the Manipuri weightlifter who won silver for India at the Commonwealth Games 2026 after setting a Games snatch record with a 121kg lift.
India's Rishikanta Singh Chanambam reacts during the men's 60kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland, on Sunday, July 26, 2026. (Photo: IANS/Biplab Banerjee)
Rishikanta Singh Chanambam announced himself on one of the biggest stages in world sport on Sunday, winning silver in the men’s 60kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games 2026. The Manipuri lifter also etched his name into the record books with a 121kg snatch, setting a new Commonwealth Games record before it was later equalled by Malaysia’s Mohamad Aniq Kasdan.
Born on July 5, 1998, in Imphal West, Manipur, Rishikanta discovered weightlifting at the National Sports Academy in Khuman Lampak. Like many elite athletes from the state, he rose through the grassroots system with discipline and determination before earning a place among India’s top lifters.
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His development took him to the Army Sports Institute in Pune, the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, and later to Bulgaria’s National Sports Academy Vasil Levski, where he refined his technique against international standards.
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Rishikanta has quietly built one of the strongest resumes in Indian weightlifting.
He won Junior Commonwealth gold in 2016, followed it up with the Senior Commonwealth Championship title in 2019, and remained among India’s top lifters through successive international campaigns.
His biggest breakthrough before Glasgow came at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, where he lifted 271kg overall (120kg snatch and 151kg clean and jerk) to win gold, set a national record and book his place at the Commonwealth Games.
Having competed in the 55kg division at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Rishikanta successfully transitioned to the 60kg category after changes to international weight classes.
The move proved to be a turning point.
At the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships, he set another national snatch record with 124kg, underlining his consistency and growing confidence.
In Glasgow, Rishikanta produced one of the standout performances of the competition.
He lifted 121kg in the snatch to break the Commonwealth Games record before going on to finish with a total of 264kg, securing the silver medal behind Malaysia’s Mohamad Aniq Kasdan.
At 28, Rishikanta has now added a Commonwealth Games silver medal to his collection alongside Commonwealth Championship golds, national records and a Commonwealth Games snatch record, cementing his place among India’s leading weightlifters.
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