Rishikanta Singh: The Record-Breaking Weightlifter Carrying India's Hopes into a New Era

When Chanambam Rishikanta Singh walked off the platform at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow with a silver medal around his neck, it marked far more than another podium finish for India. 

The 28-year-old had just produced one of the finest performances of his career, breaking the Commonwealth Games record in the snatch with a lift of 121kg before eventually settling for silver in the men's 60kg category.

While Malaysia's Mohamad Aniq eventually claimed gold with a Games-record total of 273kg, Rishikanta's silver represented a defining moment in his journey from the weightlifting heartland of Manipur to becoming one of India's most accomplished lightweight lifters. It also delivered India's first silver medal at the Glasgow Games.

Behind that achievement lies nearly a decade of steady progression, relentless training and technical excellence.

Born on July 5, 1998, in Ngairangbam Makha Maning Leikai in Imphal West, Rishikanta grew up in a state synonymous with Indian weightlifting. Manipur has produced some of India's greatest lifters, including legends such as Kunjarani Devi, Mirabai Chanu, and Sanjita Chanu. Surrounded by that sporting culture, Rishikanta naturally gravitated towards weightlifting during his early teenage years.

His first major steps came at the National Sports Academy at Khuman Lampak, where coaches refined his fundamentals and recognised his exceptional potential. The hard work paid off quickly.

In 2016, Rishikanta won a bronze medal at the Junior Commonwealth Championships, announcing himself as one of India's brightest young prospects.

Like many successful Indian athletes, Rishikanta's development was supported by India's institutional sports system. After his junior success, he joined the Indian Army, which has long been one of the country's strongest sporting institutions. Training at the Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, Rishikanta gained access to world-class coaching, sports science support and strength-conditioning programmes.

His progress continued through national camps at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, before he also benefited from advanced training exposure in Bulgaria, where he worked with European coaches to further refine his technique.

The combination of natural ability and structured coaching transformed him into one of India's leading weightlifters.

Rishikanta's transition from junior to senior competition was seamless. He won gold at the 2019 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, confirming his status as one of India's premier lightweight lifters. Initially competing in the 55kg category, he later adapted successfully to the 61kg division before international restructuring introduced the 60kg class.

At the 2022 Asian Weightlifting Championships, he finished fifth with an impressive 271kg total, demonstrating he could compete against Asia's elite. Another milestone arrived during the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships, where he established a new Indian national snatch record of 124kg in the 61kg category. By then, his reputation as one of the world's finest snatch specialists was becoming firmly established.

The defining year of Rishikanta's career came in 2025. Competing at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, he lifted 120kg in the snatch and 151kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 271kg, setting a national record in the new 60kg category. The performance earned him the gold medal while defeating his biggest regional rival, Malaysia's Mohamad Aniq, by an impressive 18 kilograms.

That victory established Rishikanta as one of the favourites heading into the Commonwealth Games the following year. Later in 2025, he also competed at the World Weightlifting Championships in Norway, finishing 11th overall against one of the strongest fields in world weightlifting. Although outside the medals, the result proved he belonged among the world's leading lightweight competitors.

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The Glasgow Commonwealth Games provided Rishikanta with another opportunity to shine. The men's 60kg competition quickly developed into a thrilling duel between the Indian and Mohamad Aniq. Both lifters successfully cleared 116kg and 119kg in the snatch before Rishikanta boldly called for 121kg on his final attempt.

He lifted it confidently to establish a new Commonwealth Games record, drawing loud applause from the crowd. Aniq matched the lift moments later, leaving the two athletes tied going into the clean and jerk. The Malaysian, however, displayed his superiority in his strongest discipline.

After successfully lifting 152kg, Aniq established a new Games total record of 273kg. Rishikanta attempted an ambitious 151kg in his final effort to reclaim the lead but could not complete the jerk after bringing the weight to his shoulders. He finished with a combined 264kg, securing the silver medal, while Kenya's Joshua Mboya claimed bronze with 260kg.

One aspect consistently separates Rishikanta from many of his competitors—his remarkable proficiency in the snatch. Technically, he possesses exceptional speed under the bar, explosive extension and impressive overhead stability. Those qualities have helped him establish national records and now a Commonwealth Games record.

The clean and jerk, however, remains the area where further gains are possible. While he has lifted as much as 152kg internationally, inconsistency under maximum competition pressure has occasionally prevented him from converting strong snatch performances into gold medals.

That was ultimately the deciding factor in Glasgow.

Rishikanta's emergence comes at an important time for Indian weightlifting. Following quota reductions and increased competition on the international stage, India has required new athletes capable of consistently challenging for medals. Rishikanta has answered that call.

His journey—from a young boy training in Manipur to becoming a Commonwealth Games silver medallist and Games record holder—illustrates the strength of India's athlete development system when talent is matched with the right coaching and institutional support.

At 28, he is entering what is often considered the peak years for an elite weightlifter. With a Commonwealth Championships gold, a Commonwealth Games silver, national records and a Commonwealth Games record already to his name, he has established himself as one of India's premier lightweight lifters. If he can further strengthen his clean and jerk to complement his world-class snatch, Rishikanta Singh has every opportunity to become not only a dominant force at the Commonwealth level but also a genuine contender on the biggest stages of international weightlifting in the years ahead.