Weightlifter Erry Hidayat delivered Malaysia’s third gold medal at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, FMT reported, after winning the men’s 79kg event with a record-breaking performance.
The 26-year-old lifted a total of 331kg at the Scottish Event Campus Armadillo on Monday, comprising 147kg in the snatch and 184kg in the clean and jerk. Both the clean and jerk and overall total set new Commonwealth Games records.
India’s Valluri Ajaya Babu took silver, finishing just 1kg behind on 330kg, while England’s Chris Murray claimed bronze with 325kg.
The victory marked Erry’s first Commonwealth Games gold, The Star reported, after winning silver in the 73kg category at Birmingham 2022 and failing to medal at Gold Coast 2018. He dedicated the win to his father, Hidayat Hamidon, who won gold at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games.
Erry’s father called him before the competition and asked him to bring home another gold medal, Malay Mail reported. The 26-year-old said the cold weather in Glasgow made his lifts feel heavier than expected, even though his personal best in the clean and jerk is 187kg.
The win was far from straightforward. Erry failed his first two snatch attempts at 147kg before succeeding on his third, keeping his gold medal hopes alive.
Malaysia have now won three gold medals at the Glasgow Games, all in weightlifting. Mohamad Aniq Kasdan won the 60kg category and Muhamad Aznil Bidin took the 65kg event on Sunday.
