Valluri Ajay Babu found a place in the sporting history of Andhra Pradesh, winning a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow in weightlifting.
Notably, he emulated his father Valluri Srinivasa Rao, who won bronze in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Ajay Babu delivered a remarkable performance in the men’s event, setting a Commonwealth Games record of 149kg in the snatch, and lifting 181kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 330kg. He narrowly missed gold by just one kilogram, finishing behind Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad, who secured gold with a Games record total of 331kg (147kg snatch and 184kg clean and jerk).
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Srinivasa Rao said the family’s journey in weightlifting began in their native village, where he established a modest training centre after joining the Indian Army in 2002. He retired in 2024. Financial support and professional coaching in the army helped him win AP’s only medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
“Today my son Ajay Babu has become the lone medal winner for AP at these games. The training he received from me and the army has paid off. This medal will also help him, a hawaldar now, earn promotion as a junior commissioned officer in the army,” he said.
Srinivasa Rao said the family remains fully committed to the sport. His wife, Venkatalakshmi, prepares special diets for them, while their younger son, 18-year-old Akhil, is also training to reach the international stage despite narrowly missing success at the National Games.
Rao said around 50 youngsters are currently undergoing weightlifting training at the Kondavelagada centre, which has emerged as one of AP’s leading hubs for the sport. He expressed confidence that several of them would go on to represent India internationally.
Srinivasa Rao also revealed plans to establish a modern weightlifting academy in the village, estimating that equipment alone would cost around `50 lakh, and appealed for government support to help nurture future champions from the region.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
