Weightlifter Martina Devi overcomes career-threatening injury for gutsy CWG debut
Two tearful walks off the platform told the story of Martina Devi’s Commonwealth Games debut. They were not tears of defeat, but the emotional release of a competition fought to the very end. Eighteen months after an ACL injury threatened to derail her career, the 18-year-old Manipuri lifter produced a performance of immense grit in the women’s +86kg event, finishing fifth after a tactical battle decided by the finest of margins.
Martina registered a total lift of 245kg (105kg snatch + 140kg clean and jerk), matching fourth-placed Tui-Alofa Patolo of New Zealand, who claimed the higher position on countback after fewer failed attempts. England’s two-time Olympic medallist Emily Campbell retained gold with a Commonwealth Games record total of 278kg, while Malaysia’s Siti Aqilah Farhana Draman (253kg) and Canada’s Etta Mae Love (250kg) completed the podium.
Yet the numbers alone do not capture the drama of the Indian lifter’s evening.
Her campaign was on the brink after she failed her opening two snatch attempts at 103kg. With the pressure mounting, Martina walked straight back to the warm-up area, refusing to let the moment overwhelm her. She continued lifting backstage before returning for her final snatch attempt.
Sensing her composure, head coach Vijay Sharma made a bold tactical call, increasing the weight to 105kg for her final attempt. It was a gamble, but Martina executed the lift under immense pressure to stay alive in the competition. As she walked backstage again, the relief gave way to tears.
She carried that momentum into the clean and jerk, with the Indian camp opting for a formidable opening lift of 140kg – the second-highest starting weight in the field. Martina nailed it on her first attempt to move into medal contention.
With a podium finish within reach, the coaches raised the bar to 144kg for her second attempt and 146kg for her third. Both lifts proved beyond her, bringing an end to an emotionally draining evening, but the ambition behind the strategy was unmistakable.
To judge Martina’s debut solely by a fifth-place finish would be to miss the bigger picture. Eighteen months ago, simply returning to an international platform after major knee surgery seemed a distant prospect. In Glasgow, she showed she belongs among the elite, handling immense tactical pressure with remarkable composure and offering another glimpse of the promise that has made her one of India’s brightest weightlifting prospects.
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