Father Won Bronze In 2010, Son Bags Silver At CWG 2026: Andhra's Valluri Ajaya Babu Carries Forward Commonwealth Legacy

 

Nellimarla : A weightlifting star from Andhra Pradesh made the nation proud at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games winning a bronze medal in the coveted event. Sixteen years later, his son has produced an even better result at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Valluri Ajaya Babu won the silver medal in the men's 79kg category at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The 21-year-old athlete lifted a combined total of 330kg, which included a Games record of 149kg in the snatch event and 181kg in the clean and jerk. He narrowly missed out on the gold medal by just 1kg to Malaysia's Erry Hidayat Muhammad.

 

Ajaya followed the path set by his father, Valluri Srinivasa Rao. Hailing from Kondavelagada village in Andhra Pradesh's Vizianagaram district, Ajaya grew up in a weightlifting environment. His father was a renowned weightlifter and Ajaya developed an interest in the sport from a very young age.

While serving in the Indian Army and posted in Bhopal, Srinivasa Rao regularly took his son to weightlifting training camps. Those visits nurtured Ajaya's passion for the sport.

His father's bronze medal in the 56kg category at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games left a lasting impression on him. It inspired him to dream of winning medals for India on the international stage.

With a champion as his mentor, Ajaya quickly mastered the sport. He emerged as a National Junior Champion and earned selection for the national coaching camp in Patiala in 2021, where advanced training further refined his abilities. He went on to win the gold medal in the Junior 81kg category at the 2023 Khelo India Games.

Rise Through The Ranks

 

Ajaya Babu continued his impressive rise by winning gold at the 2023 National Junior Weightlifting Championships in Uttar Pradesh. In 2024, he enjoyed a breakthrough year at the Senior Commonwealth Championships in Fiji, where he claimed double gold, winning the Junior 79kg title and the Senior 81kg gold medal.

The following year, he suffered an elbow injury during the Asian Championships in Uzbekistan. After recovering, he returned strongly at the 2025 Senior Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, winning gold in the 79kg category with a championship record.

 

He lifted 152kg in the snatch and 183kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 355kg, securing both the gold medal and qualification for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Despite facing stiff competition at the Commonwealth Games, Ajaya Babu held his own and clinched the silver medal. Like his father, he also serves in the Indian Army. Although he narrowly missed a podium finish at last year's World Championships in Norway, the experience taught him valuable lessons about competing against the world's best lifters.

 

"My dream of winning a medal for the country at a prestigious sporting event, just like my father, has finally come true. Both my father and I hoped for gold, but the Malaysian lifter won it by just one kilogram. Even then, a silver medal is a huge achievement. My next target is to win a medal at the Asian Games. Beyond that, nothing would make me happier than qualifying for the Olympics," Valluri Ajaya Babu told Eenadu-ETV Bharat.

He added, "This success was possible because of the support of the Indian Army, the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and the Andhra Pradesh government. Andhra Pradesh has many talented weightlifters, and with greater support, many more can shine on the international stage."

 

Valluri Srinivasa Rao, Ajaya Babu's father, said, "Ajaya Babu has always been a quick learner, which is why he mastered the sport at such a young age. Along with his technical skills, his mental toughness helped him progress rapidly. That is why he won a silver medal in his very first Commonwealth Games. My bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games inspired him. He travelled to the Games with the sole aim of winning gold but narrowly missed it."

"During my career, we had very little support, and I had to overcome severe financial hardships to reach this level. Our younger son, Akhil, is also a National Junior Weightlifting Champion, and we hope he too will make his mark on the international stage," he added.