India’s Harjinder Kaur continued the country’s impressive run in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2026 by winning the silver medal in the women’s 69kg category in Glasgow.
Harjinder recorded a combined lift of 227kg, successfully lifting 101kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk to secure a place on the podium.
Canada’s Charlotte Simoneau claimed the gold medal with a total lift of 240kg (108kg snatch and 132kg clean and jerk), while Australia’s Nya Phebe Hayman took the bronze with 218kg.
Harjinder remained among the medal contenders throughout the competition and sealed the silver medal with a successful 126kg lift in her final clean and jerk attempt, adding another podium finish to India’s campaign in Glasgow.
The silver medal further strengthens India’s performance in weightlifting, a sport that has consistently delivered success for the country at the Commonwealth Games.
With Harjinder’s achievement, India has now won seven medals in weightlifting at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, including one gold, five silver and one bronze. Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu secured the gold medal in the women’s 49kg event. Silver medals have also been won by Rishikanta Singh Chanambam, Raja Muthupandi, Valluri Ajaya Babu and Gyaneshwari Yadav, while Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam earned the bronze.
Born on October 14, 1996, in Mehas village near Nabha in Punjab, Harjinder Kaur comes from a humble farming family. Raised in a single-room house, she faced financial challenges from an early age, with limited resources available for professional training.
Before taking up weightlifting, Harjinder spent hours every day operating a traditional chaff-cutting machine to prepare cattle fodder, a physically demanding task that helped develop the upper-body strength that later became one of her greatest assets on the lifting platform.
Interestingly, Harjinder’s sporting journey began in Kabaddi, where she trained as a raider and cycled several kilometres daily to attend practice sessions. It was only in 2016, while studying at Punjabi University in Patiala, that she switched to weightlifting—a decision that transformed her career and eventually led her to international success.