Koyel Bar Shatters Records, Lifts India’s Hopes at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships
Ahmedabad, August 26, 2025: The second day of the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships turned out to be a landmark event for Indian weightlifting, with record-breaking performances led by India’s rising star, Koyel Bar. Competing in the 53 kg weight category, Koyel created history by setting new Youth World and Commonwealth records.
In the Youth Girls 53 kg division, Koyel clinched the gold medal with a snatch of 85 kg and a clean & jerk of 107 kg, for a total of 192 kg. Her performance established one new world record in total (192 kg) and matched the existing world record in snatch (85 kg). She also rewrote the Commonwealth youth records across snatch, clean & jerk, and total.
Koyel continued her dominance in the Junior Women’s 53 kg category, once again securing gold with identical lifts of 85 kg (snatch) and 107 kg (clean & jerk), totaling 192 kg. Australia’s Chloe Perkins bagged silver with a total of 164 kg, while Sri Lanka’s Laksarani R. Schini Rajika took bronze at 146 kg. Koyel’s lifts surpassed the Commonwealth junior standards in all three events, underlining her extraordinary consistency.
In the Senior Women’s 53 kg competition, Nigeria’s Omolola Onome Didih captured gold with a total of 197 kg (snatch 90 kg, clean & jerk 107 kg), setting new Commonwealth records in both snatch and total. India’s Sneha Soren won silver with 185 kg, while Australia’s Brenna Kean claimed bronze with 170 kg.
Koyel’s performance stood out as her total of 192 kg in the youth and junior sections nearly equaled the senior podium levels, reflecting her immense potential. Indian Weightlifting Federation President Sahdev Yadav hailed her achievement as a sign of India’s growing strength on the global stage.
