Commonwealth Games 2026: All you need to know about Bindyarani Devi

Bindyarani Devi is one of India's most experienced weightlifters and has consistently delivered strong performances for the country at both the national and international levels.

The Commonwealth Games silver medallist will return for her second Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

She won silver in the women's 55kg category at Birmingham 2022. This time, she will compete in the women's 58kg category.

Early days

Born on January 27, 1999, in Imphal, Manipur, Bindyarani Devi's father is a farmer who also runs a grocery shop. She grew up with her parents, brother and sister.

Interested in sports from a young age, Bindyarani first trained in taekwondo between 2008 and 2012 before switching to weightlifting in 2013.

Her height was considered more suitable for weightlifting, which eventually became the sport she decided to pursue professionally.

She began training at the Sports Authority of India's North Eastern Regional Centre in Imphal.

After three years of consistent improvement, she earned a place at the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) in Imphal.

Her performances there helped her secure a place at the Indian national camp at the Sports Authority of India's Regional Centre in Patiala in 2019.

Rising through the ranks

She won the IWLF Youth National Championships in 2016 before claiming gold at the Khelo India Youth Games in 2019.

The same year, she won her first major international title by securing the gold medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships with a total lift of 183kg, including 78kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk.

Her success continued in 2021 when she won the IWLF Youth, Junior and Senior National Championships in the women's 55kg category with a total lift of 185kg.

She also claimed the silver medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships before producing one of the biggest performances of her career at the World Weightlifting Championships. Competing in the women's 55kg category, she lifted 114kg in the clean and jerk to win the gold medal in the discipline.

Her biggest breakthrough came at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. After finishing third in the snatch, Bindyarani produced an outstanding clean and jerk lift of 116kg to finish with a total of 202kg and win the silver medal in the women's 55kg category. The 116kg lift not only secured the silver medal but also set a new Commonwealth Games record and a new Indian national record in the clean and jerk.

Achievements

Bindyarani has continued to perform consistently in recent years.

At the 2025 National Games, she won the gold medal in the women's 55kg category and set a new national record in the snatch after lifting 88kg, breaking the previous record held by Mirabai Chanu. She also set national records in the clean and jerk and total lift.

Later that year, she moved to the women's 58kg category and produced the best performance of her career at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad.

She won the silver medal with a personal-best total lift of 206kg, including 91kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk, finishing behind Australia's Kiana Elliott. The performance secured her place in India's squad for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Overcoming setbacks

Bindyarani's journey has also been marked by injuries. In 2023, she first suffered an injury to her left knee just before the national selection trials.

As she recovered, similar problems developed in her right knee, disrupting her training and limiting the amount of weight she could lift during practice.

To reduce the strain on her body while recovering, she and her coaching staff decided to return to the non-Olympic 55kg category after previously moving up to an Olympic weight category. Once she had recovered, she moved back up to the women's 58kg category.

Despite those setbacks, Bindyarani fought her way back and returned to winning medals at both the national and international levels.

Now competing in the women's 58kg category, she will represent India at her second Commonwealth Games and will hope to build on the silver medal she won in Birmingham.