Valluri Ajaya Babu joined his father, Valluri Srinivasa Rao, as a Commonwealth Games medallist in weightlifting after claiming silver in the men’s 79kg event at Glasgow 2026 on Monday.
Srinivasa Rao won bronze in the men’s 56kg category at the New Delhi 2010 edition of the Commonwealth Games, making the Valluris one of the few father-son duos in sports to win medals at CWG.
On Monday, Ajaya Babu totalled 330kg after lifting a Games-record 149kg in the snatch and 181kg in the clean and jerk. The 21-year-old Indian weightlifter missed out on gold by just one kilogram.
Ajaya Babu hails from Kondavelagada, a village in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district renowned for its rich weightlifting tradition and the age-old practice of lifting massive stones during temple festivals to identify the strongest man in the village.
It was through these traditional strength contests that Srinivasa Rao first discovered his own talent. He later moved to Vijayawada for formal coaching before joining the Army Sports Institute, eventually becoming one of the top weightlifters from the region.
Ajaya’s earliest Commonwealth Games memory dates back to 2010, when he watched his father compete in New Delhi from home.
“Everyone was so excited. They were all clapping and telling me that was my father on the TV,” Ajaya Babu recalled in an interview with Sportstar.
When Srinivasa Rao began his career, government support for weightlifting was limited and his family had to make significant sacrifices to pursue the sport.
By the time Ajaya Babu took up weightlifting, however, the circumstances had changed. Guided by his father from an early age, he grew up around the sport and was coached by Srinivasa Rao during his formative years before joining the national camp in Patiala in 2021.
Ajaya often credits his father for shielding him from the hardships he had faced.
“He would say, ‘Ajaya, I’m standing behind you. You don’t have to worry about anything except lifting,'” Ajaya said.
The youngster announced himself on the Commonwealth stage by winning gold at the 2025 Commonwealth Championships before carrying that form into Glasgow, where he secured the biggest medal of his career so far.
Before leaving for Glasgow, Ajaya had spoken of fulfilling a dream that had eluded his father.
“My father’s one regret was that he didn’t win a gold medal. I will try to win one for him.”
That ambition will have to wait for another day. For now, Ajaya Babu has ensured the Valluri family’s Commonwealth Games legacy continues, adding a silver medal to the bronze won by his father 16 years earlier.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/commonwealth-games-2026-weightlifting-ajaya-babu-srinivasa-rao-father-son
