"Grit, grip, and glory": Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulates Bindyarani on CWG 2026 bronze
New Delhi, July 28
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Indian weightlifter Bindyarani Devi after she clinched the bronze medal in the women's 58kg event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Monday, hailing her contribution to India's growing medal tally at the Games.
Mandaviya shared a post on X and wrote, "Grit, grip, and glory! Many congratulations to Bindyarani Devi on winning a Bronze medal in Women's 58kg category and securing India's fifth medal in Weightlifting. Keep making the nation proud."
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also lauded the Manipuri weightlifter for her achievement, congratulating her in a post on X.
He wrote, "By winning the bronze medal in the women's 58 kilogram category of the weightlifting competition at #CWG2026, Bindyarani Devi has brought glory to the country. Heartiest congratulations on this remarkable achievement and infinite best wishes for a bright future. This success of hers is an inspiring example of hard work and indomitable courage."
The 27-year-old Bindyarani added another Commonwealth Games medal to her name with a determined performance in the women's 58kg competition, finishing behind Nigeria's Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, who won gold with a Commonwealth Games record total of 229kg, and Canada's Ann Sophie Taschereau, who claimed silver with 215kg.
Bindyarani made a composed start in the snatch after her coaches lowered her opening attempt from 85kg to 83kg. She cleared 83kg comfortably before successfully lifting 85kg and 87kg, ending the snatch phase level with England's Eliza Pratt but ahead on countback.
In the clean and jerk, her opening lift of 110kg was overturned following a jury review due to an elbow buckle during the jerk. Showing remarkable composure, she returned to successfully lift 112kg on her second attempt, taking her overall total to 199kg and briefly moving into the silver-medal position. She then attempted 116kg in search of a personal best but could not complete the lift, with her total of 199kg ultimately securing the bronze medal.
The podium finish marked Bindyarani's second Commonwealth Games medal after winning silver at the Birmingham 2022 Games. The achievement was particularly significant as it came after she recovered from a knee injury in 2023 and adapted to competing across the 55kg and 58kg weight categories.
Bindyarani's bronze took India's tally at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games to six medals, including one in para powerlifting. India have so far won one gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
India's medallists at Glasgow 2026 are Mirabai Chanu (gold, weightlifting), Rishikanta Singh (silver, weightlifting), Muthupandi Raja (silver, weightlifting), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver, weightlifting), Bindyarani Devi (bronze, weightlifting) and Jhandu Kumar (bronze, para powerlifting).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Another Manipuri weightlifter making India proud! The Northeast's talent in sports is just phenomenal. Bindyarani's mental strength to overcome that overturned first lift in clean and jerk shows true champion spirit. Jai Hind! 🏋️♂️
Lovely to see all these congratulations rolling in, but let's be real—the real heroes are the coaches and support staff who helped her adapt weight categories and recover from injury. Medals don't happen in isolation. Bindyarani, you are a star! 🌟
Six medals in weightlifting alone! This is the kind of dominance we need across all sports at CWG. Bindyarani's bronze is special because it's her second consecutive medal—consistency is key. Now bring on the Olympic glory! 🥉🇮🇳
As someone who follows weightlifting, that first lift being overturned would have shattered many athletes. But Bindyarani came back stronger with 112kg—that's true grit. Kudos to the Indian weightlifting contingent for bringing home so many medals! 👏
Bindyarani Devi = inspiration for every girl in India who dreams of lifting weights. Despite coming from a small state like Manipur, she's shown that with hard work and dedication, the whole country will cheer for you. So proud! 🏆
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