Vizianagaram’s 21-year-old Valluri Ajaya Babu went one better than his father by clinching the silver medal in the men’s 79kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on Monday night.Ajaya Babu’s second-place finish to Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad was a display of strength, resilience and composure, and it came exactly 16 years after his father Srinivasa Rao had bagged bronze at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. The young lifter from Andhra Pradesh lifted 149kg in snatch and 181kg in clean and jerk for a total of 330kg — a Games record momentarily. In a contest that swung with every lift, Hidayat had the final say, lifting 184kg in his last clean and jerk attempt to finish with a Games-record total of 331kg, edging the Indian by the smallest of margins. England’s Chris Murray claimed the bronze with a total of 325kg.Ajaya was disappointed not to win gold. “Though I’m a little bit disappointed for missing gold, I am excited to win the silver. Had I avoided a minor mistake in snatch in my second attempt, I could have easily won the gold,” Ajaya told TOI from Glasgow on Tuesday.Nevertheless, the havildar at the 3EME Centre, Bhopal, believes the silver will help his career. “I know this medal will boost my confidence and help me qualify for the Asian Games and LA 2028,” he said.Ajaya Babu entered the clean and jerk phase with confidence after dominating the snatch competition. Despite failing in his second attempt at 149kg, he cleared the weight in his final try, setting a new CWG record and ended the snatch category ahead of Murray (148kg) and Hidayat (147kg).If the snatch showcased his technical brilliance, the clean and jerk highlighted his fighting spirit.When Hidayat lifted 181kg to rewrite the Games record, Ajaya Babu responded immediately by matching the weight and reclaimed the record with a total of 330kg. Hidayat summoned one final effort and lifted 184kg to snatch both the record and the title in a thrilling finish.Ajaya Babu’s silver was India’s sixth weightlifting medal at the Games. The silver medal is the latest chapter in a remarkable rise that has gained momentum over the past two years. At the 2025 Commonwealth weightlifting championships in Ahmedabad, Ajaya Babu won the men’s 79kg title with a personal-best total of 335kg (152kg snatch and 183kg clean and jerk), shattering championship records and securing direct qualification for the 2026 CWG.Ajaya Babu followed in his father’s footsteps after watching him train at the 3EME centre in Bhopal. “I developed love for the sport after watching my father,” said Ajaya.
