India increased its medal tally to 17 on the eighth day of the 2026 Commonwealth Games after winning medals in weightlifting and athletics. Lovepreet Singh claimed the silver medal in the men's 110kg weightlifting event, while Seema secured the bronze medal in the women's discus throw. India's tally now stands at 17 medals, comprising three gold, 10 silver and four bronze medals. The Indian contingent is currently placed 10th in the medal standings.
In the men's 110kg weightlifting competition, Punjab's Lovepreet Singh lifted a total of 388kg to win the silver medal. He successfully lifted 176kg in the snatch and 212kg in the clean and jerk.
Lovepreet set a new Commonwealth Games record in the snatch but finished one kilogram short of the gold medal based on total weight lifted. New Zealand's David Andrews won the gold medal with a total lift of 389kg, while England's Andrew Griffith claimed the bronze medal with 356kg.
The contest remained closely fought until the final stage. Lovepreet led after the snatch, but David Andrews produced a ber clean and jerk performance to finish with a total of 389kg. Lovepreet finished second with 388kg.
Lovepreet Singh was born in Bal Sachandar village near Amritsar in Punjab. Raised in a family with limited financial resources, he worked in the fields during his childhood, sold vegetables with his grandfather and contributed to his family's livelihood. His father worked as a tailor and encouraged him to pursue sports.
At the age of 13, Lovepreet developed an interest in weightlifting after watching local athletes train in his village. He progressed to the national level through sustained training and was inducted into the Sports Authority of India's national training camp in 2017, laying the foundation for his international career.
In the women's discus throw event, Seema won the bronze medal with a throw of 58.65 metres on her third attempt. Her final three attempts were fouls, but her third-round effort was sufficient to secure a podium finish.
Jamaica's Samantha Hall won the gold medal with a throw of 61.66 metres, while Canada's Julia Tunks claimed the silver medal with 60.67 metres. India's Nidhi Rani finished fourth with a best throw of 53.19 metres.
Seema returned to international competition after recovering from a serious knee injury and following motherhood. She remained away from competitive sport for more than three years due to the injury before returning to national and international competitions after rehabilitation. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Physical Education at Chaudhary Bansi Lal University in Haryana. In 2025, she won the gold medal at the South Asian Athletics Championships.
India's Neeraj Chopra qualified for the men's javelin throw final after recording a throw of 79.61 metres on his second attempt in the qualification round. He finished fifth overall. Chopra had opened with a throw of 76.28 metres and did not take his third attempt after securing qualification.
Rohit Yadav and Yash Veer Singh also advanced to the javelin throw final. Rohit recorded a best throw of 78.37 metres, while Yash Veer Singh registered 78.36 metres, ensuring that three Indian athletes qualified for the final.
Sri Lanka's Rumesh Pathiraje topped the qualification round with a throw of 82.84 metres. Grenada's Anderson Peters, South Africa's Douw Smit and England's Ben East also delivered b performances. Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem qualified for the final after finishing seventh with a best throw of 78.63 metres.
Neeraj Chopra is among India's most successful javelin throwers and is the country's first athlete to surpass the 90-metre mark. After winning medals at the Olympics, the World Championships and the Asian Games, he will compete in the Commonwealth Games javelin throw final alongside Rohit Yadav and Yash Veer Singh.
