Forde — Indian weightlifter Ajaya Babu Valluri, a Commonwealth champion, finished 16th in the men’s 79kg category at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships held here on Tuesday.
Competing in Group C, the 20-year-old lifted a total of 323kg — 146kg in snatch and 177kg in clean and jerk — placing him 16th among 39 competitors.
His performance was 12kg lower than the 335kg (152kg + 183kg) total that earned him gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad this August — a feat that also secured his berth at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
At the World Championships, Ajaya began strong, successfully lifting 146kg in his first snatch attempt, but failed to clear 150kg on his next two tries. In the clean and jerk, he lifted 172kg and 177kg before narrowly missing 180kg.
Indonesia’s Rizki Juniansyah, the Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist in the 73kg category, set a new world record with a 204kg clean and jerk, achieving a total of 361kg (162kg + 204kg) to clinch gold.
Ri Chong-song from North Korea secured silver with a 360kg total (163kg + 197kg), while Egypt’s Mohamed Younes took bronze on countback, matching the 360kg (162kg + 198kg) total.
Earlier in the tournament, Mirabai Chanu claimed silver in the women’s 48kg category, lifting a combined 199kg (84kg + 115kg) — marking India’s only medal at this year’s World Championships so far.
In the 63kg category, Nirupama Devi lifted a total of 216kg (93kg + 123kg), finishing ninth out of 35 competitors.
With inputs from IANS