Mirabai Chanu delivered the moment India had been waiting for at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The weightlifter won gold in the women’s 48kg final in Glasgow on Sunday, completing a hat-trick of consecutive CWG titles and lifting India’s overall medal tally to four on Day 3.
Chanu set a new Games record with a total lift of 190kg, combining an 85kg snatch and a 105kg clean and jerk, both individually Games records as well.
It marked her third straight Commonwealth gold, following wins at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022, and her fourth CWG medal overall, having also taken silver at Glasgow 2014, the same city where she won gold on Sunday.
A shaky start, then a flawless finish
Chanu’s day did not begin perfectly. She missed her opening snatch attempt at 82kg after losing balance during the squat. She responded by clearing the same weight on her second attempt, then produced a clean 85kg lift on her third to set the new snatch record.
The clean and jerk followed a similar pattern. Her first attempt at 105kg went unconverted, but she made no mistake the second time around to seal the gold. She finished a commanding 22kg clear of Nigeria’s Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who took silver with a total of 168kg.
Boxing wins move India forward
India’s boxing campaign also picked up pace. Jadumani Singh advanced past Pakistan’s Sumama Rehman in the men’s 55kg Round of 16, while Preeti Pawar got past Malawi’s Deborah Mtenje in the women’s 54kg Round of 16. Both wins pushed India’s boxers into the quarter-finals of their respective categories.
Not every event went India’s way on Day 3. In lawn bowls, Putul Sonowal was eliminated from semi-final contention in the men’s singles, and the women’s pairs pairing of Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey also saw their campaign end. In the pool, the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay quartet of Srihari Nataraj, Aryan Nehra, Aneesh Gowda and Dhakshan Shashikumar qualified for the final but finished sixth.
With three medals from weightlifting and boxing quarter-finals still to come, India’s campaign in Glasgow now shifts focus to how deep Jadumani Singh and Preeti Pawar can push in the ring, and whether the team’s other disciplines can add to a tally that Chanu’s gold has already given real momentum.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
