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“Make as much noise as you can! Shout, scream, clap your hands, stamp your feet – there are no noise limits in weightlifting and these athletes need your support!”

That was the constant message to large and responsive audiences from speakers Ian Oswald and Simon Grace during five memorable days of Commonwealth Games weightlifting at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow.

“They were so noisy I couldn’t hear myself think,” said Emily Campbell after earning the loudest cheers of the week on her way to victory for England in the super-heavyweights.

Emily Campbell (ENG)

“Support like this can push you to lift five or ten kilos extra,” said her team-mate Bella Brown, the 77kg silver medallist.

The atmosphere in the venue, enhanced by presenters and a DJ who ramp up spectator engagement, is a large part of what makes weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games such a success.

That, and the fact that everything is somehow more “human” than other competitions, with so many remarkable athlete stories and everybody enjoying themselves. Not for nothing is this event – open to more than a third of the world’s population in more than 70 teams – known as “The Friendly Games”.

Plenty of weightlifting fans in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are either unaware of the Commonwealth Games or dismissive of them, because the standard is not as high as a World Championships or Olympic Games.

Maude Charron (CAN)

That may be true but the crowds and atmosphere are on a different level to many World Championships. And the stars of Glasgow 2026 included the Olympic champion Maude Charron from Canada plus two other Olympic medallists, Mirabai Chanu from India and Campbell.

Some of the world’s top younger lifters were there too, including the winners Seine Stowers from Samoa and Charlotte Simoneau from Canada, and bronze medallist Femily Notte from Nauru.

No woman had ever won three golds in a row before this year. Three achieved the feat at the Armadillo, which also hosted the 2014 Games – Charron, Chanu and Eileen Cikamatana from Australia, whose first win was for Fiji.

Aznil Bidin (MAS)

One of Malaysia’s five male champions, Aznil Bidin, was also winning for a third time. He was the first to do it since the 1990s and the first from Asia.

Joining them on the podium were a psychologist, a gym owner, two refugees with uplifting life stories and a firefighter who trains alone in his garage and was Scotland’s only medallist. Three of the 10 women in the 53kg session were in their 40s and two of them will be trying to qualify for the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

As at Birmingham 2022, the show was overseen by Jo Calvino, a former athlete and now competition manager. In Birmingham the venue was known as “the party hall” and among those who enjoyed it was Mohammed Jalood, the IWF president who was back for more in Glasgow.

Eileen Cikamatana (AUS)

He presented the team awards to Malaysia’s men and England’s women. “Women first and men second in the Team Shield – England’s best Games ever,” said Matthew Curtain from British Weight Lifting.

Jalood also made an award to Sam Coffa, the Australian who has been involved in weightlifting since the 1950s and was attending his 13th Commonwealth Games. “I can’t remember a better one than this – and they did it at short notice,” Coffa said.

Glasgow had stepped in when Victoria, Australia, withdrew. It did a good job and India will be keen to impress when Ahmedabad hosts the centenary Games in 2030.

Mirabai Chanu (IND)

Malaysia topped the medals table with five golds, one silver and one bronze. A month-long training camp in Turkiye and further hard work at home had the team in top condition. They spent months away from their families.

“I haven’t even seen my mum for three months,” said 22-year-old Syahmi Nor-Ghazali after winning at 94kg. “We all trained so hard and I just want to sleep now, have a long rest.”

“I feel like I have sacrificed so much – but what a great feeling to win. And five gold medals is a miracle.

“Thankyou God, thankyou Allah, thankyou Scotland.”

By Brian Oliver

Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia