Jeremy Lalrinnunga from Aizawl, Mizoram, fetched a gold medal for India in Men’s 67kg weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The 19-year-old Jeremy lifted 140 kg in ‘Snatch’ and 160 kg in ‘Clean and Jerk’ to pull off a total lift of gold medal-winning 300 kg. The President and Prime Minister congratulated the young athlete.
The path to Gold
Both of Jeremy’s medal-winning lifts were second attempts.
In ‘Snatch,’ Jeremy lifted 136 kg and 140 kg in the first two attempts but was unsuccessful in his third attempt to lift 143 kg.
In ‘Clean and Jerk,’ the Indian athlete lifted 154 kg in his first attempt. This seemed to have put the athlete in pain, giving moments of anxiety to the audience. However, he managed a 160 kg lift in his second attempt. An unsuccessful attempt to lift 165 kg in his third attempt did not hinder his path to gold.
Samoa’s Vaipava Ioane won the silver medal with a total lift of 293 kg. So, even if Jeremy had not followed up on his 154 kg lift in ‘Clean and Jerk’ with a 160 kg second attempt lift, he would still have won the gold medal.
Medal Tally at 5
India has won five medals so far, all in weightlifting.
Mirabai Chanu won gold in the Women’s 49 kg category, Sanket Sargar won silver in Men’s 55 kg category, Bidyarani Devi won silver in the Women’s 55 kg category, and Gururaj Poojary won bronze in Men’s 61 kg category.