Gyaneshwari Yadav: Electrician's Daughter From Chhattisgarh Who Won Commonwealth Games Silver

Gyaneshwari Yadav continued India's medal rush in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2026 as she won silver in the women's 53kg category on Monday. She lifted 88kg in Snatch and 111kg in Clean and Jerk while the gold medalist - Nigeria's Omolola Onome Didih lifted 93kg in Snatch and an impressive 113kg in Clean and Jerk. Gyaneshwari completed all of her attempts during the event but it was just not enough. This was India's fifth medal overall at the Commonwealth Games.

She hails from Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh and her father - Deepak Yadav - works as an electrician. He was a bodybuilder himself but decided to give up the sport due to financial difficulties. Gyaneshwari's initial training took place as a powerlifter but she decided to switch to weightlifting and she was soon picked for state training  camps.

In 2022, she took part in the IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Greece where she won the silver medal in the 49kg category. In 2023, she won gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships. She later added a silver at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships with a 175kg total.

She was appointed Assistant Sub-Inspector in the state police in recognition of her achievements. 

At the 2024 National Weightlifting Championships, she won gold in the 49kg category. However, in 2026, she decided to switch to 53kg category at the Senior Asian Weightlifting Championships in Gandhinagar and ended with a 194kg total.

Gyaneshwari began her campaign in the snatch with an impressive 82kg lift before raising the bar to 85kg on her second attempt. She then delivered a sensational 88kg lift, breaking the Commonwealth Games record in the category and putting pressure on Didih. The Nigerian lifter, however, responded with a record-breaking 93kg snatch to take the lead heading into the clean and jerk. The gold medal fight continued as both young athletes showcased strong strength and technique.

Gyaneshwari opened the clean and jerk round with a powerful 103kg lift, taking her total to 191kg and setting another Games record. She followed it up with a 107kg lift, once again improving the mark and reducing the gap with Didih.

With the gold medal still within reach, Gyaneshwari attempted 111kg in her final lift and successfully completed it, finishing with a total of 199kg. The lift earned her another Games and Commonwealth record, but Didih responded with a stunning 113kg effort to seal the gold medal for Nigeria with 206kg total.

Canada's Rebeka Groulx earned the bronze medal with a 178kg total lift.

(With ANI inputs)

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