Ajaya Babu Shines with Silver at Commonwealth Games
India’s Valluri Ajaya Babu made an impressive mark in the Men’s 79kg Snatch competition by breaking the Commonwealth Games record and securing a silver medal.
On Monday, the 21-year-old lifted an incredible 149kg in the snatch and a total of 330kg, which included 181kg in the clean and jerk. He came very close to gold, missing out by just one kilogram.
Ajaya’s achievement at Glasgow 2026 continues his family’s legacy in the Commonwealth Games, as his father, Srinivasa Rao, had previously won bronze in the men’s 56kg category in New Delhi 2010. This makes them one of the rare father-son pairs to earn medals at the Games.
Hailing from Kondavelagada, a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, Ajaya comes from a place known for its strong weightlifting traditions. The community holds festivals where locals lift heavy stones to determine who is the strongest, a practice that has been ongoing for ages.
Srinivasa Rao discovered his talent for weightlifting through these traditional contests. He later moved to Vijayawada for formal training and joined the Army Sports Institute, where he developed into a top weightlifter in the region.
