Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships: Ajay Singh clinches gold, creates national record
Competing in the men’s 81kg category, the Indian weightlifter was classified 13th at the World Weightlifting Championships, held concurrently in Tashkent.
India’s Ajay Singh clinched the gold medal in men’s 81kg at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday.
With the result, the 24-year-old Ajay Singh, who set a national record with a 147kg snatch on Saturday, earned direct qualification for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships are being held concurrently with the World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent.
Ajay Singh is the third Indian weightlifter to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games after Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli.
On Saturday, Ajay Singh topped Group C by lifting 175kg in the clean and jerk, taking his total to 322kg.
However, on Sunday, weightlifters from Group A and Group B overhauled the 322kg-mark pushing Ajay Singh down to 13th on the overall leaderboard.
Bulgaria’s Karlos Nasar, 17, clinched his maiden world title with a combined lift of 374kg (166+208). He was followed by the Iranian Mir Mostafa Javadi, who lifted 164kg in snatch and 204kg in clean and jerk for a total of 368kg. Moldova’s Marin Robu won the bronze with 363kg (168+195).
Earlier, in the women’s 64kg category, India’s Komal Khan finished fourth among the Commonwealth weightlifters. She ranked 18th overall with a total lift of 180kg (81+99).
Egypt’s Neama Said won two world championship gold medals for a combined lift of 233kg and a 106kg snatch. Her 127kg effort in clean and jerk also fetched her silver.
Australia’s Sarah Cochrane, ranked 7 on the world leaderboard for a 210kg (95+115) lift, clinched gold at the Commonwealth championships to qualify for the Birmingham 2022 Games.
Canada’s Rachel Siemens, with 195kg (88+107), and Malta’s Yasmin Zammit Stevens, 187kg (84+103), won silver and bronze, respectively.
Next up for India is the men’s 96kg and women’s 71kg. Seven-time national champion Vikas Thakur, Jagdish Vishwakarma, Harjinder Kaur and Lalchhanhimi will be in action.