VIDEO | Delhi: "My hard work has paid off," says Indian weightlifter Lovepreet Singh upon his arrival at the Delhi airport.
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/rt0ZmcWV4m— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 2026VIDEO | Delhi: Commonwealth games weightlifting contingent reaches Delhi, Gold medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu says, “I am extremely happy for India.
"Harjinder Kaur, who won silver in the women's 71kg category, said she was aiming to upgrade her medal at the next Commonwealth Games.
"My target is to convert the silver medal into gold at the next Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.
"Sharma also praised Mirabai Chanu for winning her third successive Commonwealth Games gold medal.
VIDEO | Delhi: "My hard work has paid off," says Indian weightlifter Lovepreet Singh upon his arrival at the Delhi airport. He also thanked the Indian Navy for the warm welcome.
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— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 2026
VIDEO | Delhi: Commonwealth games weightlifting contingent reaches Delhi, Gold medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu says, “I am extremely happy for India. I have won a medal, and I feel very proud. I belong to Manipur, so this makes me even happier. I have been able to do something… pic.twitter.com/BU1c7dchQm
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 2026
VIDEO | Delhi: "I will train harder for the upcoming competitions," says weightlifter Bindyarani Devi on her return to Delhi after winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
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— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 2026
VIDEO | Delhi: Indian weightlifter Harjinder Kaur says, "My target is to convert the silver medal into gold at the next Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad."
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— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 2026
VIDEO | Delhi: "I will come back with a better performance," says Indian weightlifter Rishikanta Singh on his return to New Delhi after winning silver at the Commonwealth Games.
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— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 2, 2026
The first batch of Indian athletes, led by weightlifters Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and Lovepreet Singh, returned home on Sunday, August 2, to a heroes' welcome after their successful Commonwealth Games 2026 campaign, with hundreds of fans lining up at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport to receive the medallists.Olympic medallist Mirabai won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal after claiming the women's 49kg title."Coming from Manipur, I feel really proud that I have done something good for my Country," Mirabai told PTI after arriving at the airport.Lovepreet, who won silver in the men's +110kg category after missing out on gold by one kilogram, said his attention had now turned to the Asian Games in Japan."I would like to thank my Indian Navy staff and captain Vijay Kumar, and all who have come," said the 28-year-old Punjab weightlifter, who lifted a combined 388kg, including a Commonwealth Games record of 176kg in the snatch."It happens (missing out on gold), but I did my hard work, and I have got the result for that, and when two players fight, one has to lose. Up next, I will prepare well for the Asian Games."India's weightlifting team finished its Commonwealth Games campaign with eight medals — one gold, six silver and one bronze.Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam, who won bronze in the women's 58kg category, thanked supporters and said she would continue preparing for future competitions."Everyone has welcomed us like this so it feels great, thank you all for making me feel at home," she said."I'll train even harder than I have so far for the upcoming competitions."Harjinder Kaur, who won silver in the women's 71kg category, said she was aiming to upgrade her medal at the next Commonwealth Games."My target is to convert the silver medal into gold at the next Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad."Rishikanta Singh, who won silver in the men's 60kg category, said he would aim for gold at future events."Feeling good that I have got a medal for India. I've already spoken about my performance, but I'll come back stronger and perform even better," Rishikanta said.The Indian Army weightlifter, who is from Imphal, also appealed for peace in Manipur, saying it would help develop more athletes."For me, both Navy and Meitei are equal. I would want to say that we need peace in Manipur so that Manipur could produce more athletes even better than me," he said.Chief national coach Vijay Sharma said the warm reception reflected the appreciation for the team's performance and expressed satisfaction with the overall campaign."We feel very proud as we have received this reception here. Everybody is very happy. I am really very happy with the performance of my players," Sharma said."There are some areas where we fell short, and we can work on them to change the colour of our medal from silver to gold. But that happens in sports. Overall, the results are good. We are happy."Sharma also praised Mirabai Chanu for winning her third successive Commonwealth Games gold medal."Mirabai is an exceptional player. With her discipline, she is able to deliver these results. We are preparing for the Asian Games, and I think we will win that medal as well," he said.India are fourth in the Commonwealth Games medal standings with 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze medals, taking their overall tally to 39.
