CWG 2026: Gyaneshwari Yadav wins silver in women's 53kg weightlifting
Synopsis
A 23-year-old from Chhattisgarh just put India on the podium for the third time in weightlifting at Glasgow 2026. Gyaneshwari Yadav's personal-best 199kg total in the women's 53kg event earned silver, with Nigeria's Omolola — who matched the Commonwealth and Games clean and jerk record — the only lifter she could not overhaul.
Key Takeaways
Gyaneshwari Yadav won silver in the women's 53kg weightlifting event at CWG 2026 in Glasgow on 27 July .
Her total of 199kg ( 88kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk) is a personal best in both total and clean and jerk.
Nigeria's Didih Onome Omolola won gold with 206kg , equalling the Commonwealth and Games clean and jerk record of 113kg .
Canada's Rebeka Groulx took bronze with 178kg .
Yadav is India's third weightlifting medallist in Glasgow, joining Mirabai Chanu (gold) and Raja Muthupandi (silver).
The 23-year-old from Chhattisgarh trains at NIS Patiala under the national coaching programme.
Gyaneshwari Yadav clinched the silver medal in the women's 53kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on Monday, 27 July, lifting a personal-best total of 199kg to add another podium finish to India's growing medal haul. The result makes her the third Indian weightlifter to medal at these Games.
How the competition unfolded
Yadav delivered a composed and technically sound performance across both disciplines. She opened with an 88kg snatch before building momentum in the clean and jerk, successfully clearing 103kg, 107kg, and finally 111kg — the last lift marking a personal best in the clean and jerk as well as in total. Her aggregate of 199kg placed her firmly on the podium in second position.
Nigeria's Didih Onome Omolola was in a class of her own, registering a dominant 206kg total (93kg snatch + 113kg clean and jerk) to claim gold. Omolola's clean and jerk equalled the Commonwealth and Games record in the category. Canada's Rebeka Groulx took bronze with 178kg, while South Africa's Johanni Taljaard finished fourth at 175kg and Solomon Islands' Jenly Tegu Wini ended fifth with 172kg.
India's weightlifting campaign in Glasgow
Yadav's silver reinforces India's status as a consistent force in Commonwealth weightlifting. She joins Mirabai Chanu, who won gold, and Raja Muthupandi, who claimed silver, as Indian lifters on the podium in Glasgow. The trio collectively underlines the depth the country has built in the sport across weight categories.
The athlete behind the medal
The 23-year-old from Chhattisgarh took up weightlifting through the state's sports development system before breaking into the national setup. She trains at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala, under the national coaching programme and has competed at the Commonwealth Championships, Asian Championships, and the World Weightlifting Championships. Her trajectory from state-level prospect to CWG silver medallist reflects the steady pipeline India has built through structured institutional support.
What this means for India's medal tally
The silver adds meaningful weight to India's Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign. With weightlifting consistently delivering medals across editions, the sport remains one of India's most reliable sources of podium finishes on the Commonwealth stage. Eyes will now turn to remaining events to see how far the overall tally climbs before the Games conclude.
Point of View
Built through NIS Patiala and state sports systems, is producing consistent international performers beyond the Mirabai Chanu headline act. Three medals from three weightlifters across different weight categories at a single Games edition signals structural depth, not individual brilliance. The question for Indian sport administrators is whether the institutional investment that produced this cohort is being scaled or is still dependent on a handful of high-performance centres. Glasgow 2026 suggests the former, but the answer will only be confirmed at the next Olympic cycle.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What medal did Gyaneshwari Yadav win at CWG 2026?
Gyaneshwari Yadav won the silver medal in the women's 53kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow on 27 July. She lifted a personal-best total of 199kg (88kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk).
Who won the gold medal in the women's 53kg weightlifting at CWG 2026?
Nigeria's Didih Onome Omolola won gold with a dominant 206kg total, comprising 93kg in the snatch and 113kg in the clean and jerk. Her clean and jerk lift equalled the Commonwealth and Games record in the category.
How many weightlifting medals has India won at CWG 2026 in Glasgow?
India has won three weightlifting medals at CWG 2026 in Glasgow. Mirabai Chanu won gold, Raja Muthupandi won silver, and Gyaneshwari Yadav added a second silver in the women's 53kg event.
Where does Gyaneshwari Yadav train and where is she from?
Gyaneshwari Yadav is a 23-year-old from Chhattisgarh who trains at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala under the national coaching programme. She rose through Chhattisgarh's state sports development system before joining the national setup.
What was Gyaneshwari Yadav's personal best at CWG 2026?
Yadav set personal bests in both the total (199kg) and the clean and jerk (111kg) at CWG 2026. She cleared 103kg, 107kg, and 111kg in her three clean and jerk attempts, completing all three successfully.
