Glasgow, July 27 -- India's Valluri Ajaya Babu produced a spirited performance to clinch the silver medal in the men's 79kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, finishing just one kilogram behind Malaysia's Muhammad Erry Hidayat in a thrilling contest on Monday (local time).

The 22-year-old lifter from Kondavelagada village in Andhra Pradesh totalled 330kg (149kg in snatch and 181kg in clean and jerk), narrowly missing out on gold after Hidayat registered 331kg with a Games-record clean and jerk lift of 184kg. Scotland's Chris Murray claimed the bronze medal with an overall lift of 325kg (148kg+177kg), according to ESPN.

Ajaya began the competition in stunning fashion by setting a Commonwealth Games record of 149kg in the...