Gyaneshwari Yadav bagged a silver in her maiden CWG.

| Photo Credit: AP

There hadn’t been a more gripping weightlifting contest at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games here than the women’s 53kg event on Monday (July 27, 2026).In a battle that went right down to the final lift, Nigeria’s Onome Omolola Didih edged out India’s Gyaneshwari Yadav to claim the gold medal.Gyaneshwari lifted a total of 199kg, while Didih produced a total of 206kg — both Commonwealth and Games records. The Nigerian also rewrote the record books in the individual lifts, establishing Commonwealth and Games records in the snatch (93kg) and clean and jerk (113kg).Gyaneshwari had produced a flawless performance by completing all her attempts with remarkable composure and precision.The duel reached its climax in the clean and jerk. Gyaneshwari opened with a successful 103kg lift, while Didih responded with 105. In the second round, the former confidently cleared 107, only for the latter stay ahead with 110.With the pressure mounting, Gyaneshwari raised the bar to 111 for her final attempt and nailed it, drawing loud cheers from the crowd. Didih, however, replied with an outstanding lift of 113 to seal the gold medal in dramatic fashion.The moment she completed the winning lift, the 22-year-old waved to the spectators before turning towards the television cameras and shaking her head in celebration.Didih established her as one of Africa’s leading lifters by winning the 55 kg gold in the African championships in Moka, Mauritius, last year. Later in 2025, she also won the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad in 53kg. With the gold here, Didih has firmly established herself as the premier lifter in the Commonwealth.Earlier, Gyaneshwari was on a roll in the snatch series, comfortably clearing 82, 85 and 88kg. Those effortless lifts suggested she was well poised for the clean and jerk.But Didih was a different beast altogether. Every challenge Gyaneshwari posed, Didih answered with an even bigger lift, staying one step ahead throughout the contest.Gyaneshwari said she was content to bag a silver in her maiden Games as it was also her personal best. “My motive was to do my personal best. And I did it here. Dididh was [a] very tough [competitor],” she added. Published - July 27, 2026 11:45 pm IST