Shri Bijoy Chand Mahatab was the first president of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, which was founded in 1935. In 1936, India sent its first weightlifting team to the Berlin Olympics. Indian women lifters, on the other hand, did not compete in the World Championships until 1989 in Manchester. India has produced some of the best weightlifters in the world who have excelled on the international scene. KreedOn brings you a complete list of the finest Indian weightlifters of all time.

Famous weightlifters in India: Men

For the past several years, Indian male weightlifters have begun to share the spotlight. They have gained a large fan base in India by breaking records and winning medals, bringing more exposure to the sport of weightlifting in general.

Many have competed in international events, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia.

Weightlifting, staying healthy, and bodybuilding have been increasingly popular in recent years, thanks to celebrities such as Salman Khan, John Abraham, and Aamir Khan. Some male weightlifting stars have just risen to prominence, while others have been a constant presence in the sport, participating regularly.

The personal and global records that the Indian men’s weightlifting team has set throughout the years, as well as the gold, silver, and bronze medals that they have earned as competitors, have emphasized the squad’s growth.

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Sathish Sivalingam

Sathish Sivalingam is emerging to fame at the age of 26. He won gold in the men’s 77kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Sathish failed to carry his momentum from the Commonwealth Games to the Olympics in Brazil two years later.

Unfortunately, he ended in 11th place. He did, however, resurrect his career two years later in Queensland. "After injuring my thighs when trying 194kg in the clean and jerk, I had little chance of earning a gold medal. It’s a quadriceps problem, and I’m racing at a lower level of fitness than I’d like, but I’m pleased it was enough to win gold."

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Vikas Thakur

Image: Business Standard

Born in the Punjabi city of Ludhiana, he is a year younger than his colleague Sathish. Vikas Thakur is another of India’s top weightlifters, as seen by his performance in the Commonwealth Games. They had earned the silver medal in the 85 kg weight category after a successful Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Thakur had wanted to go one step further in Gold Coast, Australia, after being identified as a gold medal contender in the sport.

Vikas, however, was not to be. He came in third place and had to settle for the bronze medal. That is still considered a success by some. Outside of the medals he has won, this should not distract from his weightlifting accomplishments. Thakur has set several records that may have earned him a gold medal on a different day.

He held the world record in clean and jerk lifts at 196 kg in the World Championships, a year before the 2018 Commonwealth Games. It’s worth noting that he set a new world record in the snatch with a lift of 159 kg. His name will live on in history, and it is an accomplishment he can be grateful for.

Gurdeep Singh

Image Source: Indian Express

Gurdeep Singh Dullet was born in the Punjab town of Punian in the year 1995. Gurdeep Singh is the male Indian weightlifting team’s emerging star. In the last year, he broke three records at three separate levels. It helped him win gold in the 105kg weight class in the national championships. Gurdeep lifted a massive total of 388 kg in the World Championships in Anaheim.

Gurdeep then smashed another world record by clean and jerking 217 kg at the national level in Karnataka. As if that wasn’t enough, he also eclipsed the snatch record with a 175kg lift. He exemplifies what strength is all about, without having the natural body of a weightlifter. Gurdeep’s physique is more fat-oriented than that of a bodybuilder, with ripped and bulging muscles. However, weightlifters who are only concerned with increasing their strength are unconcerned with their body fat percentage. They are concerned with how heavy the weights they can lift are and how much strength is required to lift such weights.

Pardeep Singh

Image Source: Deccan Herald

Pardeep Singh is from the Punjabi city of Jalandhar. He has appeared in several international events across the world at the age of 23. His excellent weightlifting skills earned him a silver medal on the Gold Coast.

Pardeep didn’t have the greatest of starts at the Commonwealth Games. When trying the snatch lift, some observers noticed his anxiety. His momentum in the tournament was sparked by his second effort at 148kg. He was comfortably sitting second towards the end of the round. Pardeep broke records in the clean and jerk by lifting 200 kg, followed by 352 kg in total lifts, after starting with 152 kg.

Famous Indian weightlifters: Women

Karnam Malleswari

Image: Olympics

The phenomenal emergence of Indian women weightlifters began in Sydney, Australia, in the year 2000.

Karnam Malleswari earned a bronze medal in the women’s 69kg division at the 2000 Australian Summer Olympics after lifting an astounding 240kg. She is the first Indian weightlifter to win a medal at the Olympics.

Until Mirabai Chanu earned silver in the Tokyo Olympics, she was the only female Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal.

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Image: The News Minute

The lone female Indian weightlifter on the 2016 Indian Olympic Team was Saikhom Mirabai Chanu. She competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and won a silver medal in the women’s 48 kg division. Chanu, on the other hand, was unable to create an impression in the Rio Olympics, as she was unable to complete the event.

She recently earned India’s first Olympic medal in Tokyo and is now an inspiration to many. She is one of the most decorated Indian weightlifters.

Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu

Image Source: Outlook India

Sanjita Chanu, also from Manipur, won the gold medal by a hair over Mirabai. She was the only female weightlifter from India to win a gold medal in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. As of 2026, she has three gold medals in the Commonwealth Games and 1 silver. In the Glasglow 2026 event she made a new record and completed her hattrick of claiming golds in the CWG.

Santoshi Matsa

Image: Static India

Santoshi Matsa earned a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games despite finishing third in the women’s 53 kg event. This is because the gold medalist, Chika Amalaha of Nigeria, was disqualified for failing a drug test.

Swati Singh

Image: Scroll. in

Swati Singh is another Indian woman weightlifter who has benefited from Chika Amalaha’s disqualification at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Uttar Pradesh native, 29, finished fourth in the first round, just missing out on a medal. Swati Singh rose to third place after Amalaha was eliminated from the standings, earning a bronze medal in the women’s 53 kg weight class at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Punam Yadav

Image Source: Scroll. in

Punam Yadav, a teenage athlete, won another bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In Glasgow, Scotland, she took home the bronze in the Women’s 63kg competition, and she plans to do it again in Australia in 2018.

At just 22 years old, Yadav, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, has plenty of time to establish herself as one of the top female weightlifters in India.

FAQs:

Who is the first Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal?
Karnam Malleswari is the first Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal.

Which Indian weightlifter won a silver medal in the women’s 48 kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games?
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won a silver medal in the women’s 48 kg division at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Who won the gold medal in the 105kg weight class in the national championships?
Gurdeep Singh won the gold medal in the 105 kg weight class in the national championships.

Which Indian weightlifter won a bronze medal in the women’s 53 kg weight class at the 2014 Commonwealth Games?
Swati Singh won a bronze medal in the women’s 53 kg weight class at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Who is the lone female Indian weightlifter on the 2016 Indian Olympic Team?
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is the lone female Indian weightlifter on the 2016 Indian Olympic team.