Commonwealth Games: Harjinder Kaur upgrades CWG medal to silver as India’s weightlifters shine in Glasgow

Harjinder Kaur delivered the finest performance of her career to win the silver medal in the women’s 69kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Tuesday, upgrading the bronze she won in the 71kg category at the Birmingham Games four years ago.

Harjinder’s silver added to India’s impressive run in weightlifting, with the contingent continuing to establish itself as one of the strongest teams at the Commonwealth Games. Indian weightlifters have now collected seven medals in Glasgow so far, comprising one gold, five silver and one bronze.

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The Indian lifter shattered her previous personal best with a total of 227kg, becoming the latest to add to India’s impressive weightlifting campaign and helping the country secure its seventh medal in the sport at the Glasgow Games. The 29-year-old registered lifetime bests in both disciplines, lifting 101kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk to finish second behind Canada’s Charlotte Simoneau.

It was a composed display from Harjinder, who remained in medal contention throughout before producing her best-ever clean and jerk lift when it mattered most.

Harjinder laid the foundation with a personal-best 101kg in the snatch to finish second after the opening discipline. She rewrote the Commonwealth Games record twice in the snatch, first clearing 99kg before improving it to 101kg with a confident final attempt.

In the clean and jerk, where she has traditionally been stronger, the Indian made no mistakes. She comfortably cleared 120kg and 123kg before producing a superb 126kg on her final attempt, setting another personal best and taking her overall total to 227kg. She also broke the Commonwealth Games clean and jerk record twice, first with 123kg and then again with 126kg, ensuring the silver was beyond the reach of the chasing pack.

Despite Harjinder’s outstanding effort, Simoneau proved to be in a class of her own. The reigning junior world champion lived up to her reputation as the overwhelming favourite, dominating the competition with a Games-record 108kg in the snatch and 132kg in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 240kg, also a new Commonwealth Games record. She capped her campaign by comfortably clearing 127kg on her final clean and jerk attempt after already securing the gold medal, eventually finishing 13kg ahead of Harjinder.

The competition turned into a record-breaking contest, with both medallists repeatedly raising the benchmark. Harjinder’s Games records in the snatch and clean and jerk stood only briefly before Simoneau eclipsed them with her extraordinary lifts in every category.

WHO IS HARJINDER KAUR?

Born in Mehas village near Nabha in Punjab, Harjinder’s sporting journey began away from the weightlifting platform. She played kabaddi and competed in tug-of-war before coach Parminder Sharma spotted her natural strength and encouraged her to take up weightlifting at Punjab University.

Her rise was not without challenges. Harjinder has often spoken about the financial struggles her family faced during her formative years, with her father supporting her ambitions despite limited means. Those sacrifices have since been repaid with a string of medals on the international stage.

Harjinder first made her mark at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, fighting back in the clean and jerk to claim bronze in the women’s 71kg category with a total of 212kg. Since moving to the 69kg division, she has remained among India’s most consistent lifters, winning bronze at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, finishing 14th at the World Championships and claiming a snatch bronze at the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Her silver in Glasgow was another reminder of that consistency. By setting personal bests in both lifts and improving her overall total by five kilograms, Harjinder turned her Birmingham bronze into Commonwealth Games silver and added another medal to India’s impressive weightlifting campaign.

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