While Mirabai Chanu draws most of the spotlight in India’s weightlifting squad, it is Chanambam Rishikanta Singh who opened the men’s competition for India at Glasgow 2026 — and he did it by declaring the boldest opening lift in the field.
Competing in the men’s 60kg category, the lightest weight class at these Games, Rishikanta is one of three Commonwealth Games debutants in India’s men’s weightlifting squad, arriving in Scotland off the back of a Commonwealth Championships gold that sealed his place at the Games.
Early days
Chanambam Rishikanta Singh was born on July 5, 1998, in Ngairangbam Makha Maning Leikai in Imphal West, Manipur – a state that has produced a disproportionate share of India’s finest weightlifters, from Kunjarani Devi to Mirabai Chanu to Sanjita Chanu.
He began his weightlifting journey close to home, training at the National Sports Academy in Khuman Lampak, Imphal, the same institution that has nurtured generations of Manipuri lifters.
His progress through the junior ranks was evident early – he finished third at the Junior Commonwealth Championships back in 2016, a result that marked him out as one to watch even before he had fully transitioned to the senior circuit.
Rising through the ranks
Representing the Indian Army, Rishikanta’s career has been built on a foundation of serious institutional support. He moved from Imphal to train at the Army Sports Institute in Pune and later at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, the traditional heartland of Indian weightlifting.
He was later sent for advanced training at the National Sports Academy Vasil Levski in Bulgaria – a country with a storied weightlifting pedigree – as part of his preparation for international competition.
That groundwork paid off with senior international recognition.
Rishikanta won gold at the Commonwealth Championships in 2019, and followed it with a sixth-place finish at the Asian Championships in 2022.
Building towards Glasgow
Rishikanta’s qualification for the 2026 Commonwealth Games came through the most direct route available, winning gold at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships.
It capped a season of renewed international consistency and confirmed him as one of India’s brightest lightweight prospects heading into the Games.
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