Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2023: N Ajith, Ajay Singh clinch gold medals
N Ajith and Ajay Singh emerged winners in the men’s 73kg and 81kg category, respectively, while Harjinder Kaur claimed silver in the women’s 71kg event.
Weightlifting
Indian weightlifters N Ajith and Ajay Singh won gold medals while Harjinder Kaur settled for silver at the senior Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2023 on Friday.
India’s N Ajith, the reigning national champion, topped the podium in the 73kg senior category while Ajay Singh defended his men’s 81kg crown. Harjinder Kaur, meanwhile, finished second in the women’s 71kg competition.
In the first session at the Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, India’s N Ajith, the only Asian Games-bound Indian weightlifter at the Commonwealth Championships, topped the podium with a combined lift of 308kg (138kg snatch + 170kg clean and jerk).
England’s Jonathan Chin, who lifted a combined weight of 286kg (125kg snatch + 161kg clean and jerk), took the silver. Sri Lanka’s Indika Chathuranga Dissanayake finished third with a total weight of 285kg (130kg snatch + 155kg clean and jerk). A total of 11 lifters participated in the men’s 73kg senior category.
Later in the day, Commonwealth Games 2022 medallist Harjinder Kaur finished second in the women’s 71kg with a total lift of 211kg (91kg snatch + 120 clean and jerk). Harjinder Kaur finished behind Australia’s Jacqueline Nichele, who won the gold medal with a combined lift of 216kg (94kg snatch + 122kg clean and jerk). The final podium went to Ketty Lent of Mauritius, who lifted a total weight of 208kg (92kg snatch + 116kg clean and jerk)
In the final session, Ajay Singh claimed the gold medal in the men’s 81kg category. It was a third Commonwealth Championships gold for the army man, who won the same weight class in 2019 and 2021.
Ajay Singh lifted a combined weight of 306kg (136kg snatch + 170kg clean and jerk) to finish first. Sri Lanka’s Chinthana Geethai Vidanage bagged the silver with a total lift of 290kg (128kg snatch + 162kg clean and jerk). Yuan Yee Loh of Singapore lifted a total weight of 289kg (132kg snatch + 157kg clean and jerk) to take the bronze
The addition of three medals on Friday took India’s overall medals tally in the senior category to 11 - seven golds and four silvers.
On the penultimate day of the weightlifting competition on Saturday, India’s Amarjit Guru (men’s 89kg), Harshad Wadekar (men’s 96kg), Harcharan Singh (men’s 102kg) and Vanshita Verma (women’s 81kg) will be in action.