Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023: India’s Bindyarani Devi wins silver medal

India’s Bindyarani Devi clinched a silver medal in the women’s 55kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 in Jinju, South Korea on Saturday.

Sorokhaibam Bindyarani Devi registered a combined lift of 194kg (83kg in snatch and 111kg in clean & jerk) to finish second on the podium.

The Commonwealth Games 2022 medallist began with a snatch of 80kg. In the second attempt she registered a lift of 83kg. In the final attempt she lifted 85kg but it was declared a no lift. 

In the clean & jerk, the 24-year-old Bindyarani Devi started with a successful lift of 109kg and then went for 111kg in her second attempt. Her third attempt of 115kg was declared a no lift. 

The lift of 111kg was enough for Bindyarani Devi to bag the silver medal in the clean & jerk section as well. At the Asian and world championships, medals are awarded for total lifts as well as the snatch and clean and jerk sections.

Bindyarani Devi, who competed in the 59kg division at the 2022 World Championships, moved back to the non-Olympic 55kg division for the Asian meet.              

China’s Chen Guan Ling won the gold medal with a combined lift of 204kg (snatch 90kg + clean & jerk 114kg) while the bronze went to Vietnam’s Vo Thi Quynh Nhu, who logged a total lift of 192kg (snatch 88kg + clean & jerk 104kg) 

Meanwhile in the men’s 61kg category Group B, Shubham Todkar lifted a combined weight of 263kg (snatch 116kg and clean & jerk 147kg) to finish sixth among nine competitors.

On Friday, Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu, returning to competitive action after undergoing a hip surgery last December, finished sixth in the women’s 49kg category.

The Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 is the second in the series of qualifying events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medallists Jeremy Lalrinninga (men’s 67kg) and Achinta Sheuli (men’s 73kg) will be in action later in the competition.