Events: 65kg categoryCWG Record: First time participantMajor Achievements:World Championships: 9th (2025 Forde, Norway)Commonwealth Championships: Silver (2025 Ahmedabad)Muthupandi Raja’s journey to the 2026 Commonwealth Games is a story of resilience and perseverance. The Tamil Nadu weightlifter will make his Commonwealth Games debut in the men’s 65kg category after overcoming a career-threatening injury to re-establish himself among India’s top lifters.Muthupandi enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2025, beginning with a silver medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, where he lifted a personal-best total of 296kg (128kg snatch + 168kg clean and jerk).He followed it up with an impressive performance at the World Weightlifting Championships in Forde, Norway, finishing ninth in the highly competitive 65kg division. Competing in Group A, he registered another personal best with a combined lift of 299kg (130kg snatch + 169kg clean and jerk), placing fifth in the clean and jerk standings.His rise is even more remarkable considering the setbacks he endured. At the 2019 Commonwealth Championships, Muthupandi suffered a ligament tear in his right elbow during the snatch, an injury that required surgery and sidelined him for an extended period. Although he returned to competition at the 2021 National Championships, where he finished third, he narrowly missed qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.Now back to his best, Muthupandi claimed the senior national title in 2026 with a 302kg total, underlining his status as one of India’s leading medal hopes in Glasgow. His comeback has made him one of the country’s most inspiring weightlifting success stories.
