Valluri Ajaya Babu Wins Commonwealth Games 2026 Silver Medal

On July 28 2026, 22‑year‑old weightlifter Valluri Ajaya Babu from Kondavelagada village in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh, lifted a total of 330 kg (149 kg snatch, 181 kg clean‑and‑jerk) to claim the silver medal in the men’s weightlifting competition at the Commonwealth Games 2026. He finished just one kilogram behind Malaysia’s Muhammad Erry Hidayat, who set a Games‑record clean‑and‑jerk of 184 kg for gold.

Andhra Pradesh Minister Kondapalli Srinivas praised the achievement, calling it a source of pride for Vizianagaram and the state. Srinivas highlighted the long weight‑lifting tradition of Ajaya’s village, thanked Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and senior leader Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju for their support, and lauded Ajaya’s father, former army man Srinivasa Rao, for training him from age eight.