With weightlifting in his blood, it is no wonder that 20-year-old V. Ajaya Babu has worked his way to become a two-time gold medallist in Commonwealth weightlifting championships.
Following in his father and international lifter V. Srinivasa Rao’s footsteps, Ajaya took to weightlifting. Now, the promising Andhra Pradesh lifter – who recently won his second consecutive Commonwealth gold medal in Ahmedabad and earned a ticket to the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games in men’s 79kg – wants to land a gold in Scotland and make Srinivasa Rao (a 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in 56kg) proud.
Ajaya emerged as a leading lifter last year when he claimed the titles in men’s 81kg senior and junior divisions at the Commonwealth championships in Fiji. He also won gold in the Goa and Uttarakhand National Games in back-to-back editions and medalled in the National championships.
After stepping up his performance in a lower weight category with Commonwealth records in snatch, clean and jerk and total in Ahmedabad, Ajaya received a pat on his back from his idol, who eagerly watched his son’s performance from the stands. Ajaya took some time to speak to The Hindu about his journey so far and targets in the future. Excerpts:
We know your father was also a weightlifter. And, he also competed and medalled in the 2010 Commonwealth Games. So, how did your journey start?
My journey started with the 2010 Commonwealth Games, when my father won the medal. After that I dreamt of becoming a weightlifter. I was very young. I didn’t go to Delhi but I saw my father live on TV.
After that I started lifting around 2015. My father used to train me and I used to go to the gym with him (in Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh) and watch him train.
Initially, I was not serious about lifting. I used to go to the gym and come back.
But I used to follow my father and after one point in time, I decided to become serious. I wanted to do something in life, achieve something. I wanted to achieve more than my father, do better than what he did. That’s how it started.
Ajaya Babu poses with his father Srinivasa Rao after winning the Commonwealth weightlifting championship gold in Ahmedabad.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
When did you become serious about weightlifting as a career?
From Class 10, I started taking the sport seriously. And at that time, my father also left the sport. After that, he also focused on me. In 2022, I won gold medals in the National junior and youth championships and then I came to the National camp at National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) Patiala. I continue to train over there.
Did your father ever put pressure on you to do well in weightlifting?
No. Till now, he has not put any pressure on me. If I tell him that I am not able to do lifting, I am having pain and injuries, he says, ‘don’t worry, it happens. Everyone goes through such times. You will do it.’ After that, everything becomes fine.
For how long did he guide you as a coach?
He guided me for four to five years during my formative years. Until that time I had not become a National junior champion.
So, you have qualified for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and will compete there like your father. How big is the dream for you?
My father had won a bronze medal at that time. Since then, I have been nurturing a dream that I want to get a gold in the Games. I want to fulfil his dream, which he could not do — winning a gold.
How do you compare your father’s game with that of yours?
My father’s game was very strong. His clean and jerk was strong. In my game, the clean and jerk is weak. My snatch is strong, but his snatch was weak.
The weight categories are also different. He used to compete in 56kg whereas I am competing in 79kg now.
Of both of you, whose game had better advantage?
He had more advantages as he is much stronger than me. I haven’t achieved as much as he has. I will achieve it in the future. I will try as much as I can.
Is there any pressure being the son of an accomplished lifter?
I don’t have that much pressure. I do my lifting with a free mind.
What kind of improvement have you noticed in your game after joining the NCoE?
After coming to NCoE, I understood the real way of training at a National camp. It is different from how it is outside because there is a lot of doping (cases happening) outside and there is no doping at the National camp. There is a lot of difference. It is difficult to perform (well while being) inside the camp.
I got the knowledge of how to compete, how to manage time and competition. My technique has also improved a lot.
Ajaya Babu in action at the Commonwealth weightlifting championship.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI
What does your father say about your performance?
Sometimes he says that you have done well and you have to do better. We don’t discuss the sport that much.
How far can you take yourself at the international level?
I have to perform well in the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and then think beyond.
When you won the gold medal in the Commonwealth championships in Fiji last year, you competed in 81kg. Now you are competing in 79kg. Was it difficult to cut two kg?
In Fiji, I did 147kg in snatch and 179kg in clean and jerk. I have managed the lower weight well. I had decided six months back, after the National Games, that I would lose two kg and get set at 79 kg. I have already maintained the diet and now I don’t have any problem. When I lost weight for the first time I felt that I was getting cramps and my body was getting dehydrated. So I came to know how to deal with the body. Now I am fully set in this weight.
In the last selection trials (on June 30), I did 155kg in snatch and 175kg in clean and jerk (in the new weight category). Here (after two months), it was better in the competition (snatch 152kg, clean and jerk 183kg, total 335kg). I hope to keep improving.
Published – September 04, 2025 12:06 am IST
