GLASGOW: India’s stocks in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games are at an all-time high, with Tamil Nadu’s Raja Muthupandi joining Rishikanta Singh Chanambam and Mirabai Chanu in sealing a medal.
With the standards already set high, Muthupandi lifted 126 kg in snatch before following it up with a 160 kg in clean and jerk to take his tally to 286 kg—enough to seal a silver medal. However, the Tamil Nadu lifter was far from happy with the medal, stating that his plan was always set in stone – to come back with a gold medal around his neck.
"I had come for the gold but it didn't go as per plan. I am not able to tell you what happened but I am very disappointed," he said.
However, his tale is still inspirational in its own way with the lifter failing to finish on the podium during his last appearance at the global event. In a similar vein to Vishal Thennarasu Kayalvizhi, Muthupandi suffered a career-threatening elbow injury before he became one of India’s top prospects at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Off the field too, Muthupandi has a story to tell, an inspiring one at that, as a son of a daily wage labourer, the 26-year-old overcame financial hardships to establish himself in 2025 when he won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, impressing everyone with a personal best lift of 296 kg (128 kg in snatch and 168 kg in clean and jerk).
At the 20th Senior National Weightlifting Championship in Modinagar in February 2026, Muthupandi, competing in the 65 kg category, smashed the national record with a gold medal around his neck, lifting 302 kg (130kg snatch and 172 kg clean and jerk).
Beyond just the silver, what Muthupandi has done is elevate the land of Kovilpatti, a place that was well known for its peanut candies and savouries, to now learning the sweet taste of a Commonwealth silver medal overnight.