Daijiworld Media Network – Glasgow

Glasgow, Jul 26: Star Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu opened India's gold medal account at the 2026 Commonwealth Games by winning the women's 48kg title in dominant fashion on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Olympic silver medallist set new Commonwealth Games records in both the snatch and clean and jerk events, lifting 85kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 190kg.

The victory marked Mirabai's third successive Commonwealth Games gold medal, having previously won the title at the 2018 Gold Coast Games and the 2022 Birmingham Games. She had also claimed a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Games.

Despite missing her opening snatch attempt at 82kg, the Manipuri lifter bounced back with a record-breaking 85kg lift. She maintained her dominance in the clean and jerk, recovering from an unsuccessful first attempt before successfully lifting 105kg on her second attempt to seal the gold.

Mirabai finished 22kg ahead of Nigeria's Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who settled for silver with a total lift of 168kg.

With the gold medal already secured, Mirabai chose not to take her third clean and jerk attempt, opting instead to conserve energy ahead of the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to begin in less than two months.

The triumph gave India its first gold medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games and reinforced Mirabai's status as one of the country's most accomplished weightlifters.