Glasgow: Martina Devi finishes fifth in weightlifting debut
Martina Devi’s Commonwealth Games Debut
Martina Devi Maibam, a 20-year-old lifter from Manipur, concluded her Commonwealth Games debut with a fifth-place finish in the women’s +86kg weightlifting event. Her performance on Thursday saw her achieve a total lift of 245kg, comprising 105kg in the snatch and 140kg in the clean and jerk.
Devi’s total lift matched that of New Zealand’s Tui-Alofa Patolo. However, she was placed fourth due to a higher number of failed attempts during the competition. The event was won by England’s Emily Campbell, who successfully defended her title with a lift of 278kg (115kg snatch + 163kg clean and jerk), setting new Commonwealth and Games records in the clean and jerk.
Malaysia’s Siti Aqilah Farhana Draman secured the silver medal with a total of 253kg, while Canada’s Etta Mae Love earned the bronze with 250kg.
A Test of Resilience
Devi’s competition began with significant challenges. She failed her initial two attempts at 103kg in the snatch discipline, placing her on the verge of elimination. In a strategic decision, head coach Vijay Sharma opted to increase the weight to 105kg for her final snatch attempt rather than repeating the previous weight.
This tactical move proved successful as Devi executed a flawless lift at 105kg, keeping her medal aspirations alive. The emotional intensity of the moment was evident as she left the platform in tears after successfully navigating this critical phase of the competition.
Carrying this momentum forward, Devi moved into the clean and jerk segment. She comfortably lifted 140kg on her first attempt, a performance that surpassed her previous personal best of 136kg and briefly positioned her in medal contention. Despite this strong start, she was unable to secure a higher placement.
To remain in medal contention, Devi needed to execute larger lifts. She attempted 144kg on her second clean and jerk but failed. Her final effort at 146kg also proved unsuccessful, bringing an emotional conclusion to her campaign as she left the platform in tears for a second time.
Other Indian Performances
In other events at the Commonwealth Games 2026, India’s Lovepreet Singh secured a silver medal in the men’s 110kg weightlifting event. The lawn bowls greens are also active, with Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Singh competing against Botswana in the men’s pairs sectional play. In the women’s singles sectional play, Nayanmoni Saikia is facing Malaysia’s Emma Firyana Saroji.
Yamini Mourya, a 28-year-old judoka, is participating in the women’s 57kg category. She has previously won a medal at the FISU World University Games 2023 and gold medals at the Asian Open 2025 and African Open 2026. Mourya focuses on each individual bout, stating that in judo, one cannot think too far ahead.
In athletics, India’s Vishal TK finished sixth in the first semi-final of the men’s 400m with a time of 46.33 seconds, making his qualification for the final unlikely. Tejaswin Shankar recorded a season-best effort of 13.09m in the shot put, the third event of the men’s decathlon. This throw earned him 673 points, placing him seventh in the shot put standings among 12 competitors.
After three events—the 100m, long jump, and shot put—Shankar has accumulated 2,558 points, placing him fifth overall, with Canada’s Damian Warner leading with 2,765 points. The men’s team sprint qualifying saw Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, and Rojit Singh Yanglem finish seventh and last with a time of 46.396 seconds, ending India’s medal hopes in that event.
In the men’s triple jump qualifying round, India’s Praveen Chithravel made a strong start with a jump of 16.41m on his first attempt, placing him at the top of the standings. He is 19cm short of the automatic qualification mark of 16.60m. Meanwhile, Selva Prabhu Thirumaran faced difficulties, failing to register a valid jump in his first two attempts, leaving his qualification uncertain. Athletes achieving the 16.60m standard or the 12 best performers overall will advance to the final.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
