Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships: Lovepreet Singh wins silver, Anuradha Pavunraj clinches bronze
India have now won 14 medals – eight for men and six for women – at the Commonwealth meet. All three gold medals have been won by men.
Indian weightlifter Lovepreet Singh won the silver medal in the men’s 109kg at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Thursday.
A bronze medallist at the junior championships, Lovepreet Singh lifted a total of 348kg (161+187) and stood 12th on the overall leaderboard at the World Weightlifting Championships, held concurrently at Tashkent.
Cameroon’s Junior Ngadga Nyabeyeu won the Commonwealth gold for a total of 360kg (160+200) and qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games to be held in Birmingham.
Lovepreet Singh was followed by Australia’s Jackson Roberts-Young who managed a combined lift of 337kg (145+192).
All gold medallists at the Commonwealth meet make the cut for the Birmingham 2022 Games. Three Indian weightlifters – Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli and Ajay Singh – have qualified so far.
Weightlifters competing at the Commonwealth Championships are only awarded medals for their combined (snatch and clean and jerk) lifts.
Uzbekistan’s Akbar Djuraev clean swept the world championships with all three gold medals. He lifted 195kg in snatch - 7kg more than second-placed Armenian Simon Martirosyan. Akbar Djuraev followed up his initial effort with 238kg clean and jerk for a massive total of 433kg.
Later in the day, Anuradha Pavunraj clinched the bronze medal in women’s 87kg at the Commonwealth championships with a combined effort of 195kg (90+105).
With this, India’s medal count at the Commonwealth championships rises to 14. However, Bindyarani Devi’s silver in the 49kg clean and jerk remains the only medal for India at the world championships so far.
Canada’s Kristel Ngarlem qualified for the 2022 Birmingham Games with a gold medal for a total lift of 224kg (99+125). Cameroon’s Clementine Meukugni Noumbissi’s 212kg (93+119) earned her the silver.
Mongolia’s Ankhtsetseg Munkhjantsan, meanwhile, won the gold at the world meet with a 250kg (109+141) lift.
The championships conclude on Friday with the women’s +87kg Group A and men’s +109kg. India’s Purnima Pandey, who was placed in women’s +87kg Group B, lifted a credible 229kg (102kg+127) on Thursday. Gurdeep Singh, meanwhile, will be seen in action on the final day.