Rishikanta Singh ruled out of Asian Games 2026 due to injury
Chanambam Rishikanta Singh will not be part of India’s weightlifting contingent for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Chanambam Rishikanta Singh will not be part of India’s weightlifting contingent for the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, with a recurring knee injury forcing him out of the continental event.
The 60kg lifter had carried the problem for some time but still managed to clinch silver at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow despite the discomfort. Chief coach Vijay Sharma confirmed that the injury has not eased enough for Rishikanta to compete in Japan, even though he pushed through it during the Glasgow meet earlier this year.
Rishikanta was the lone male weightlifter picked for the Indian squad this time, so his absence leaves the men’s side without representation at the Games.
His Glasgow performance had been built on a Commonwealth Games record snatch lift of 121kg in his third attempt, after opening with 116kg and improving to 119kg on his second try.
He followed that with 143kg in the clean and jerk, though he could not convert his next two attempts at 148kg and 151kg, finishing with a total of 271kg.
That total matched the gold medal winning lift he produced at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, where he also competed in the 60kg category. B
orn in Manipur and now serving as a chief petty officer in the Indian Navy, Rishikanta has represented India across several age groups since his junior bronze at the 2016 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Penang.
Why has Rishikanta been ruled out of Asian Games?
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Sharma said the knee problem has been troubling Rishikanta for a while, and although it did not stop him from lifting through the pain in Glasgow, the team has decided against risking further damage by sending him to Nagoya.
“He managed to claim the Commonwealth Games silver despite the injury, but he will not be able to take part in the Asian Games,” Sharma said.
RELATED: Asian Games 2026: Full list of India’s contingent
With Rishikanta out, the spotlight in the Indian weightlifting camp shifts to Mirabai Chanu, who is chasing her first Asian Games medal after missing out in 2018 through a back issue and suffering an injury on the competition platform in 2023.
Mirabai won her third straight Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow with an aggregate of 190kg in the women’s 48kg category, and she will compete in the women’s 49kg class in Nagoya, where no Chinese lifter has entered the field.
Sharma named North Korea’s Ri Song Gum, Thailand’s Kaeosingkhon Suthasini and Chinese Taipei’s Fang Wan-ling as her main rivals, with Ri considered the strongest of the three. Gyaneshwari Yadav, Nirupama Devi and Harjinder Kaur round out the women’s lifting squad and will aim for personal best totals in Japan
Why has Rishikanta Singh withdrawn from the Asian Games?
A recurring knee injury has ruled him out. He carried the problem through the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he still managed to win silver, but the coaching staff has decided against sending him to Nagoya to avoid further damage.
What was Rishikanta Singh’s medal winning total at the 2026 Commonwealth Games?
He lifted a total of 271kg in the 60kg category, made up of a Commonwealth Games record snatch of 121kg and a clean and jerk of 143kg, which earned him the silver medal in Glasgow.
Who will lead India’s weightlifting challenge at the Asian Games instead?
With Rishikanta out, Mirabai Chanu becomes the main medal hope. She will compete in the women’s 49kg category, a field with no Chinese lifter, alongside Gyaneshwari Yadav, Nirupama Devi and Harjinder Kaur, who round out the squad.
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