Raja Muthupandi Secures Silver as Malaysia’s Aznil Bidin Dominates 65kg Class
Weightlifter Raja Muthupandi clinched a silver medal for India with a 286kg total, ending an eight-year podium drought. Despite the achievement, Raja expressed frustration after falling short of his national record benchmarks.
Record-Breaking Night at the Scottish Event Campus
Malaysia’s Muhamad Aznil Bin Bidin secured his third consecutive Commonwealth title by delivering a clinical performance in the men’s 65kg weightlifting category. Aznil maintained total control of the platform, establishing new Games records in the snatch (133kg), clean and jerk (166kg), and total lift (299kg). His perfect execution left the rest of the field competing for the remaining podium spots.
Struggles on the Platform for Raja
Raja Muthupandi, the 26-year-old Southern Railway employee and son of a truck loader, finished 13kg behind the champion to take silver. Although this marks Raja’s first Commonwealth medal after returning from an injury that sidelined him in 2022, his performance was uncharacteristically unstable. He successfully converted only two of his six attempts:
- Snatch: Cleared 126kg on his second attempt but failed at 126kg and 129kg in his first and third tries.
- Clean and Jerk: Managed 160kg on his second lift but missed his starts at 158kg and his final push at 170kg.
The Tamil Nadu lifter entered the competition with high expectations following a standout performance at the Senior Nationals in Modinagar earlier this year. During that event, he set a national record with a 302kg total, comprising a 130kg snatch and 172kg clean and jerk. His failure to replicate those numbers on Sunday night left him visibly despondent despite the silver result.
A Long Road to the Podium
Raja’s journey to this medal began in 2012 in Kovilpatti. Since 2016, he has been a fixture at the National camp, training alongside elite athletes like Mirabai Chanu. After a sixth-place finish in his 2018 debut at the Gold Coast, this silver concludes an eight-year quest for a Commonwealth medal. Indian head coach Vijay Sharma had identified Raja as a primary gold medal contender, a sentiment the athlete echoed with somber self-reflection during post-event interviews. Raja acknowledged his disappointment, noting that he failed to deliver the performance his coaching staff expected.
Source: The Hindu — Other Sports
