Patiala (Punjab) [India], July 29 (ANI): Harjinder Kaur’s family has expressed their joy after she clinched the silver medal in the women’s 69kg weightlifting category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with her father Sahib Singh, mother Kuldeep Kaur, and brother Pritpal Singh hailing her inspiring journey.
Harjinder produced one of the finest performances of her career, finishing with a personal-best total of 227kg, comprising 101kg in the snatch and 126kg in the clean and jerk. Canada’s Charlotte Simoneau claimed the gold medal with a total lift of 235kg (108kg in snatch and 127kg in the clean and jerk).
Speaking with ANI, Harjinder Kaur’s father, Sahib Singh, said her achievement brought more happiness than a good harvest. He recalled her years of dedication away from home.
“We are very happy. It’s more joy than even harvesting crops. She has been away in camps. She has made us proud. Coming from a poor family and reaching here is a big deal,” he said.
“When she started Kabaddi and then weightlifting, conditions were very bad. It was hand-to-mouth. Then my son started working, and things improved slowly. Then Harjinder started winning. God helped us,” he added.
Harjinder Kaur’s mother, Kuldeep Kaur, also expressed immense happiness after watching her daughter win the silver medal. She said the family was overjoyed, and Harjinder’s victory brought congratulations from relatives and the entire village.
“I was very happy watching it on TV. When she won, we were overjoyed. After the match, she called and congratulated the whole family and us. I feel good. God is with my daughter. Everyone is congratulating us–relatives, the whole village,” she said.
Harjinder Kaur’s brother, Pritpal Singh, said the family is thrilled.
“We were watching the match live last night, Harjinder’s competition. We got to know she won silver, and shortly after, she called us for about half a minute to confirm she won the silver medal. The struggle was a lot. Competing at an international level requires hard work. Leaving home chores, family functions… she wasn’t allowed to attend. Her camp has been ongoing for the last year. She wasn’t allowed to come home. After much hard work, Harjinder achieved this medal. I want to say to other parents as well: support your daughters and children in whatever they want to do. If you believe in them, there will be good results,” he said.
“It’s a very happy atmosphere in our village. Big personalities have tweeted to congratulate her. It’s a proud moment for our area, country, and village,” he added.
The Punjab weightlifter made an impressive start to the competition by rewriting the Commonwealth Games record twice in the snatch. After successfully lifting 96kg, she raised the Games mark with a 99kg effort before improving it again with a superb 101kg lift in her final attempt.
Her record-breaking snatch performance kept her firmly in contention for gold heading into the clean and jerk. Harjinder opened the second phase with a comfortable lift of 120kg to briefly move into the top spot before successfully clearing 126kg to finish with a career-best total and secure the silver medal.
Although Simoneau reclaimed the lead with a decisive final lift to seal the title, Harjinder’s display highlighted India’s continued dominance in weightlifting at the Glasgow Games.
The silver medal marked Harjinder’s second successive Commonwealth Games podium finish after winning bronze at the Birmingham 2022 Games, while also improving the colour of her previous medal.
Born in Nabha, Punjab, the 28-year-old has emerged as one of India’s leading weightlifters, and her latest achievement further boosted India’s medal tally in one of its strongest disciplines at the Games. (ANI)
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