Indian weightlifter Raja Muthupandi dedicated his historic silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games to his parents and coach Vijay Sharma after finishing second in the men's 65kg event. Despite securing India's third medal of the day, the 26-year-old admitted he was disappointed at missing out on the gold medal. Speaking after the competition, Raja said he had hoped to fulfil his coach's expectations by winning the top prize and pledged to learn from the experience to improve in future competitions.

"I am certainly disappointed because my coach had placed his trust in me, believing we would put in the full effort to win gold. However, I didn't perform well," Raja said after the event. He dedicated the silver medal to his parents and coach Vijay Sharma, adding that he would focus on the lessons learned from the competition. Raja also promised to continue training under his coach's guidance with the aim of achieving better results in upcoming international events.

Raja finished the competition with a combined lift of 286kg, recording a best snatch of 126kg on his second attempt before successfully lifting 160kg in the clean and jerk, also on his second attempt. His performance earned him the silver medal behind Malaysia's Aznil Bin Bidin Muhamed, who won gold with a Commonwealth Games record total of 299kg. The Malaysian lifter also completed a remarkable hat-trick of Commonwealth Games titles, having previously won gold at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.

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The silver medal marked a significant comeback for Raja, whose career was nearly derailed by a serious elbow ligament injury in 2019. His recovery was further complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, while the emergence of Olympic champion Jeremy Lalrinnunga in a higher weight category limited his opportunities to represent India at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Raja's return gained momentum after the introduction of the men's 65kg category, giving him a fresh opportunity to compete at the highest level.

Since returning to competition, Raja has steadily rebuilt his career with consistent performances. He finished ninth at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships, where he registered a personal-best total of 299kg. That progress laid the foundation for his Commonwealth Games success, highlighting his determination to overcome setbacks and establish himself among India's leading weightlifters.

Raja's silver further strengthened India's impressive weightlifting campaign in Glasgow. Earlier in the day, Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women's 48kg category, while Chanambam Rishikanta Singh claimed silver in the men's 60kg event. However, India's boxing campaign suffered its first setback as Aditya Pratap Yadav was eliminated after losing a closely contested 3-2 split decision to Uganda's Nuhu Batte in the men's pre-quarterfinals.

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