Ajaya Babu takes silver in men's 79kg, sets Commonwealth Games snatch record in Glasgow
Ajaya Babu claimed the silver medal in the men's 79kg weightlifting competition at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. He set a Commonwealth Games snatch record and narrowly missed out on gold by one kg in Glasgow.
The performance marked a standout moment in the 79kg category at the Glasgow Games, where lifters vied for podium positions and continental honours. Babu's snatch established a new benchmark for the event at these Games, drawing attention despite his finishing one kg short of the top spot. The result added a high-profile medal to the weightlifting schedule for the day in Scotland's host city.
Babu produced the record snatch during the opening portion of the contest, registering a lift that surpassed previous Commonwealth Games marks for the movement. That lift provided him with a strong platform heading into the clean and jerk segment and ensured he would leave with hardware. The snatch record performance was cited as a defining element of his campaign in Glasgow.
Across the two lifts, Babu's combined total placed him second overall, with the margin to the gold medal being one kg. The narrow difference underscored how closely contested the men's 79kg class was at the 2026 edition of the Games. Babu's efforts were sufficient to secure the silver position on the podium.
Spectators in Glasgow witnessed the tight finish and the setting of a new Games snatch record, events that highlighted the competitiveness of the field. While the gold eluded him by that single kilogram, the record lift stood out as a notable individual achievement within the session. The balance between the snatch success and the overall result framed the narrative of his competition day.
Ajaya Babu's silver-medal performance and the Commonwealth Games snatch record will remain part of the official results from Glasgow. The one-kg margin separating him from gold emphasized both the accomplishment of the new snatch standard and the fine lines that decided the medal positions.
