Glasgow: India wrapped up its weightlifting campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on a strong note, with Lovepreet Singh clinching a silver medal in the final weightlifting event. His achievement took India’s overall medal tally to 16 and marked the country’s eighth medal in weightlifting. Competing in the men’s super-heavyweight (over 110 kg) category, Lovepreet narrowly missed out on the gold, finishing just 1 kg behind New Zealand’s experienced lifter David Andrew Liti, who secured the top spot.
What about Lovepreet Singh?
India had a long wait for a medal on the eighth day of the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and that wait finally ended in weightlifting. The final weightlifting event at these Games was the super-heavyweight category, in which Lovepreet represented India. Lovepreet, who is an officer in the Indian Navy, was participating in the Commonwealth Games for the second time. He last won a bronze medal in the same category at Birmingham 2022. This time, he managed to improve his performance.
What about the game?
The 29-year-old, from Amritsar, Punjab, took the lead in the competition from his very first lift. He was successful in all three snatch attempts and became the number one, starting at 168 kilograms. His next attempt was 173 kilograms, which was also successful. Then, in his third attempt, Lovepreet lifted 176 kilograms, setting a new Commonwealth Games record in snatch. After the snatch round, he was 10 kilograms ahead of New Zealand’s Liti, who was in second place.
Next came the clean and jerk round, and here too, Lovepreet took a big lead in her first attempt. He lifted 205 kg, bringing his total to 381 kg. This was a sure-shot medal, as no one other than two other athletes could even come close. However, Liti narrowed his gap with Lovepreet from 10 to 8 kg with his 207 kg. Lovepreet lifted 212 kg in his next attempt, increasing the gap to 15 kg.
Did Lovepreet lose by 1 Kg?
Lovepreet attempted a final lift of 217 kg but failed. Perhaps this proved costly for him. Although he was still 15 kg ahead of Liti, the New Zealand weightlifter added 16 kg to his previous weight to increase it to 233kg. He completed the lift with ease, taking his total to 389kg to edge Lovepreet by a solitary kilogram and dramatically snatch the gold.
