Martina Devi Maibam finishes fifth in Commonwealth Games weightlifting debut
Martina Devi Maibam, an Indian lifter, concluded her Commonwealth Games debut with a fifth-place finish in the women’s +86kg weightlifting event. The 20-year-old from Manipur achieved a total lift of 245kg, comprising 105kg in snatch and 140kg in clean and jerk. Her performance on Thursday showcased resilience after facing early challenges in the competition.
Martina’s total lift matched that of New Zealand’s Tui-Alofa Patolo. However, she placed fifth due to having a higher number of failed attempts during the event. The competition saw England’s Emily Campbell successfully defend her title, lifting 278kg (115kg snatch + 163kg clean and jerk) and establishing new Commonwealth and Games records in the clean and jerk category. Malaysia’s Siti Aqilah Farhana Draman secured the silver medal with 253kg, while Canada’s Etta Mae Love earned bronze with 250kg.
A Challenging Start and Resilient Comeback
Martina’s campaign faced an early scare as she failed her initial two snatch attempts at 103kg. This put her on the verge of elimination, with only one lift remaining to stay in the contest. 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 bold move proved successful as Martina executed a flawless lift, keeping her medal aspirations alive. The emotional impact of this successful lift was evident as she left the platform in tears, having overcome a significant challenge. This momentum carried into the clean and jerk segment of the event.
During the clean and jerk, Martina comfortably cleared 140kg on her first attempt. This lift surpassed her previous personal best of 136kg and temporarily positioned her within medal contention. However, to maintain her standing, she needed to achieve higher lifts.
She attempted to lift 144kg on her second try but was unsuccessful. Martina then made a final effort at 146kg, but could not complete the lift. This final miss brought an emotional end to her performance, as she again left the platform in tears. Despite narrowly missing a medal, her ability to recover after two early failures highlighted her potential in the sport.
Other Indian Performances at the Games
India concluded another day at the Commonwealth Games with additional medals. Lovepreet Singh secured a silver medal in the men’s 110kg+ weightlifting, narrowly missing gold by 1kg. In the women’s discus throw, Seema Kaliramna earned a bronze medal. These achievements contributed to India’s overall medal tally for the day.
In lawn bowls, India had two matches underway in Glasgow. In the men’s pairs sectional play, Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Singh competed against Botswana. Concurrently, Nayanmoni Saikia was in action against Malaysia’s Emma Firyana Saroji in the women’s singles sectional play, as India aimed to build momentum in the competition.
Elsewhere, India’s Vishal TK finished sixth in the first semi-final of the men’s 400m with a time of 46.33 seconds, making it challenging to qualify for the final. Tejaswin Shankar achieved a season-best effort of 13.09m in the shot put, the third event of the men’s decathlon, earning him 673 points and placing him seventh in that specific event. After three events (100m, long jump, and shot put), Tejaswin accumulated 2,558 points, ranking him fifth overall, with Canada’s Damian Warner leading with 2,765 points.
The men’s team sprint qualifying saw a disappointing outcome for India, with the trio of Ronaldo Singh Laitonjam, David Beckham Elkatohchoongo, and Rojit Singh Yanglem finishing seventh and last with a time of 46.396 seconds. This result ended India’s medal hopes in the event, as only the top four teams advanced. Australia and England, the fastest qualifiers, were set to compete for the gold medal, while Trinidad and Tobago and Wales would contend for bronze.
In the men’s triple jump qualifying round, India’s Praveen Chithravel made a strong start, soaring 16.41m on his first attempt, placing him at the top of the standings and just 19cm short of the automatic qualification mark of 16.60m. However, fellow Indian Selva Prabhu Thirumaran faced difficulties, failing to register a valid jump in his first two attempts, which left his qualification hopes uncertain. Athletes achieving the 16.60m standard or the 12 best performers overall would progress to the final.
Yamini Mourya, a leading Indian judoka in the women’s 57kg category, is also competing at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She was the first Indian judoka to win a medal at the FISU World University Games 2023 and has since secured gold medals at the Asian Open 2025 and African Open 2026. Yamini approaches each tournament with a focus on the immediate contest, stating that in judo, one cannot think too far ahead because every bout is different. She emphasizes staying calm and making the right decisions on the mat, drawing confidence from her international circuit experience.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
