The 21-year-old from Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh achieved a Games record with lifts of 149kg in snatch and 181kg in clean and jerk, totaling 330kg to claim second place, narrowly missing gold to Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad, who set a Games record total of 331kg (147 + 184) in an intense competition on Monday night.
This marked India’s sixth medal in weightlifting for the current edition of the Games.
Chris Murray of England took the bronze with a total of 325kg.
Initially, Hidayat lifted 181kg, breaking the Games record, only for Ajaya Babu to immediately surpass it by lifting 181kg in his final attempt, setting a new record with a total of 330kg.
Hidayat outdid him once more, breaking the record again with a lift of 184kg during his final attempt to secure the gold medal.
After a failed second attempt at 149kg, Ajaya Babu rallied back successfully lifting the weight in his last attempt, finishing first in the snatch section ahead of Chris Murray (148kg) and Erry Hidayat Muhammad (147kg).
He easily completed his first attempt with 145kg.
With confidence entering the clean and jerk phase, Ajaya Babu was hopeful of clinching the top prize, but his Malaysian rival ultimately edged him out.
Regarded as one of India’s most promising lifters, Ajaya Babu previously clinched the gold medal in the men’s 79kg category at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, achieving a personal-best total of 335kg (152kg snatch + 183kg clean & jerk), thereby breaking championship records.
This outstanding performance secured him a direct qualification spot for Glasgow 2026.
At the 2024 Commonwealth Championships, he earned double gold medals in both the junior and senior divisions in the men’s 81kg category in Suva, Fiji.
Additionally, at the 2025 World Championships, the young athlete placed 16th overall in a competitive 39-lifter field in Forde, Norway.
