Kenya finally put behind two days of disappointment after weightlifting sensation Joshua Amunga Mboya gave something to celebrate by clinching bronze at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday, July 26.
Competing in the Men's 60kg category at the SEC Armadillo, the 20-year-old Amunga delivered a composed display to secure the historic medal with a combined total lift of 260kg (115kg in the snatch and 145kg in the clean and jerk).
His podium finish gave Kenya its opening medal of the Games, comfortably fending off Sri Lanka's SDSS Wiriduwagle, who came fourth at 244kg.
Malaysia’s Mohamad Aniq Kasdan captured gold with a 273kg Games record total, while India’s Rishikanta Singh took silver.
Speaking shortly after stepping off the podium in Glasgow, a visibly elated Amunga beamed as he reflected on delivering for his country.
"First of all, I am happy. It's my first biggest medal, the first one I have got in the biggest competition," Amunga told reporters, clutching the hardware around his neck.
“I have never been this happy before. Pressure was high because when the slot times came out, it wasn't the usual list of competitors we normally face. It was tough, but I stayed focused and gave myself motivation preparing for this competition.”
His manager Pius Ochieng lauded the youngster and tipped him for greatness in the sport. Amunga's journey to the Commonwealth podium was far from seamless. He revealed he had been battling back from a severe injury sustained earlier in the year that locked him out of the African Championships and threatened to derail his entire 2026 campaign.
"My biggest challenge was staying consistent through my hardest times," Amunga explained.
“I was recovering from an injury just two months ago. I got injured around April and it lasted about three months. I just recovered recently and started building up slowly by slowly, focusing on this moment. Everything—our strategies, everything—worked.”
Credit for his resilience, Amunga says, lies with his long-time mentor and coach James Omondi who introduced him to the sport when he was just finishing primary school in Thika.
"My coach always tells me not to have pressure. Everything takes time, everything has its own time. Even when I have pressure, I try to cool down like my coach says and trust the process. Everything pays off," said Amunga.
“I met my coach when I was finishing primary school, around 2019 or 2020 in Thika. He introduced me to weightlifting. At first, weightlifting is tough, but the more you train, the more you build up, and it becomes easy once you love it.”
Growing up, international sporting stardom was never on the radar for the young lifter, whose childhood revolved around neighborhood football matches.
"When I was a kid, playing football was all we knew—that was the only sport," he laughed.
“I never knew I would come to stand on an international stage, or win a big medal like this. It was never in my mind at all. But after I got into weightlifting and started progressing, I began to see a future in it. Everything I've been working on paid off today.”
With Kenya’s medal tally officially opened, Amunga’s breakthrough performance sets a defiant tone for the rest of Team Kenya in Scotland.
