Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2023: India bag three gold medals on opening day

Indian weightlifters won three gold and two silver medals on the opening day of the senior Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2023 at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, India, on Wednesday.

Komal Kohar and Gyaneshwari Yadav won gold medals in women’s 45kg and women’s 49kg while Mukund Aher, competing in men’s 55kg, also topped the podium. Former Asian champion Jhilli Dalabehera (women’s 49kg) and Shrabani Das (women’s 55kg) settled for silver medals.

Komal Kohar lifted a total of 154kg (68kg snatch +86kg clean and jerk) for India’s first medal of the day. She was followed on the podium by Sri Lanka’s Srimali Samarakoon Divisekara, who took silver with a total lift of 146kg (61kg+85kg). 

Malta’s Kim Camilleri Lagana won bronze with 134kg (58kg+76kg). Only three weightlifters competed in the women’s 45kg senior category.

In the women’s 49kg, Gyaneshwari Yadav, who won silver at Junior World Weightlifting Championships last year, registered 176kg (78kg+98kg) for the top spot. 

The 2019 Commonwealth champion Jhilli Dalabehera settled for silver with a combined lift of 169kg (75kg + 94kg), followed by Canada’s Alina Ismaguilova, who won bronze with an effort of 160kg (68kg+92kg) in the seven-member field.

Later in the day, Mukund Aher dominated the men’s 55kg contest to win the gold medal in both senior as well as junior categories with a total lift of 239kg (106+133).  

Only two men competed in the senior category. Md Ashikur Rahman Taj of Bangladesh lifted 92kg in snatch and 105kg in clean and jerk for a total of 207kg and won silver. 

Shrabani Das settled for silver in women’s 55kg for a total of 181kg (81kg+100kg) behind Jenly Tegu Wini of the Solomon Islands, who won her third gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships with an effort of 189kg (83kg+106kg).

A total of nine weightlifters competed in the senior women’s 55kg event. Chloe Parkins of Australia won bronze for hoisting 152kg (66kg+86kg).

Over 250 from 20 countries are competing for medals at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship 2023 across junior, youth and senior events. The competitions will conclude on July 16.