CWG 2026: Mirabai Chanu leads Manipur’s five-pronged medal charge in weightlifting | Commonwealth Games News
As the weightlifting competition at the Commonwealth Games begins in Glasgow on Sunday, all eyes will be on him In Mirabai Chan as she topped the platform in the women’s 48kg category, aiming to make it three consecutive Commonwealth Games titles.Mirabai is one of India’s most consistent performers in sports, and the nation is hoping for another memorable performance from the Manipuri star as she returns from a career-threatening injury. However, this time, he is not the only hope for a state medal.Five members of India’s weightlifting squad hail from Manipur, highlighting the state’s remarkable dominance in the sport. Watching their progress with great pride is veteran coach S Brojendro Singh, who played a key role in the early development of all five, including Mirabai.
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“It is a matter of great pride for me. I coached all five of them when they first started weightlifting. To see them now representing India at the Commonwealth Games is a great satisfaction,” Brojendro, who has been coaching the state sports academy since 2004, told STOI.While Brojendro believes that discipline, dedication, sacrifice and unwavering commitment have been central to Manipur’s success in weightlifting, he says Mirabai’s achievements have transformed the sport in the state.“Mirabai inspired an entire generation. After people saw what she achieved, many young people took up weightlifting believing that they too could reach that level. She showed them that it was possible,” he said.One of Mirabai’s inspirations is Nirupama Devi, the silver medalist in the 2025 Commonwealth Championships, who will make her CWG debut in the women’s 63kg category. Although he secured a place in the junior national camp in 2016, things did not go as planned post 2019.“There were injuries, illness and Covid-19 break, due to which I was not in the national camp. But I continued to work hard and now my focus is only to give my best in the CWG,” said Nirupama.Now training under chief national coach Vijay Sharma in Modinagar, he marked his comeback with a silver medal winning total of 217kg at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships. Apart from her coaches, Nirupama says that Mirabai also played an important role in her development.“Mirabai didi always guided us. Whenever we didn’t understand something, she patiently explained it and encouraged us. She was always supportive,” he said.Another big medal hope is young Martina Devi, who will compete in the women’s +86kg category. After recovering from an ACL injury, he enjoyed a breakthrough 2026 season, winning the junior and senior national titles.Bindyarani Devi, who won silver in the women’s 55kg category at the Birmingham CWG, has moved up to the 58kg division. Rishikanta Singh, who narrowly missed out on the podium in Birmingham, has also changed categories at 60kg and heads to Glasgow after winning gold at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships.The entire Indian weightlifting squad, meanwhile, completed its final phase of preparation at the University of Wolverhampton’s Walsall Campus, where it trained from June 29 until last week before traveling to Glasgow.The training camp is expected to play an important role as the lifters look to peak at the right time in the coming days. For Brojendro, however, the medals will only tell part of the story. Seeing five lifters who began their journeys under his guidance represent India at the Commonwealth Games was, he said, the biggest reward of his coaching career.
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