NAIROBI, Kenya, August 4, 2026 – Not satisfied with merely winning Kenya’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Joshua Amunga is dreaming of much more.
The 21-year-old weightlifter says his bronze medal at the club games has whetted his appetite.
“Winning a bronze while competing with the best of the best in the business was not easy. This is not the last as far as winning medals is concerned. I want to do better and win more in upcoming competitions. Kenyans should expect bigger things coming from me,” Amunga said.
Amunga set the pace for Kenya at the global tourney, lifting a total of 260kg in the men’s 60kg category to finish third and bag bronze.
He lifted 115kg in the snatch, adding a further 145kg in the clean and jerk to cement his place at the podium.
Reflecting on his success, Amunga said the support of his coaches as well as Kenyans made the weight feel lighter in his hands.
“I really thank my coaches and teammates for their support from the start to the end. I really appreciate their coaching…everyone who has been supporting me, thank you…and everyone who has been cheering me while in Kenya and in the Commonwealth Games,” the youngster said.
Amunga started weightlifting and has been steadily building up the physical and mental muscles required to compete at the highest level.
A beneficiary of National Olympics Committee of Kenya (NOC-K) youth-oriented Solidarity Scholarship programme, his success in Glasgow is evidence of the impact of such initiatives in enabling young talents to come of age at the biggest stage of sports events.
