Key Highlights
- First‑ever silver medalist for India at the Commonwealth Games.
- Sang a 121‑kg snatch that set a new Commonwealth record.
- Finished with a 264‑kg total in the men’s 60‑kg division.
- Medal earned during the 2026 Games in Glasgow, complementing a bronze by a para‑powerlifter on day one.
Detailed Insights
Rishikanta Singh Chanambam, born 5 July 1998 in Imphal West, Manipur, emerged éto from the National Sports Academy at Khuman Lampak and later joined the Services Sports Control Board. After competing in the 2022 Birmingham Games in the 55‑kg class without medalling, he shifted to 60 kg—an adjustment encouraged by the IWF’s new weight‑grouping system—and immediately began earning national titles and record lifts. His breakthrough came at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, where a 120‑kg snatch and a 151‑kg clean & jerk produced a 271‑kg total, securing the event’s gold and an automatic berth to Glasgow.
In Glasgow, Rishikanta’s third‑attempt snatch of 121 kg eclipsed the former record of 120 kg, cementing his place as the Commonwealth’s first to lift that weight. Under IWFpivot rule 2.2.6 the lift takes precedence if multiple athletes reach the same figure, therefore he kept the record even after gold‑medalist Mohamad Kasdan later replicated 121 kg.
He now holds multiple national records: 124 kg snatch (61 kg class) and 271 kg total (60 kg class), along with Commonwealth titles in clean & jerk and total as well as the event snatch record.
Key Concepts
- Commonwealth Games: A multi‑sport event featuring athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, held every four years.
- Weightlifting: Olympic sport comprising two lifts, the snatch and the clean & jerk, judged by total weight lifted.
- Snatch: A single‑motion lift pulling the bar from ground to overhead.
- Clean & Jerk: Two‑phase lift; clean to shoulders, jerk to overhead.
- IWF Regulations: Rules governing competition, including tie‑аа resolution where earlier lift takes precedence.
