Mission Tokyo: Injured Jeremy Lalrinnunga to make last-ditch attempt at junior world weightlifting
Doctors have advised Jeremy Lalrinnunga to not stress his injured knee too much, but the young weightlifter is pushing his Olympics dreams hard.
Indian weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga looks to brave a painful knee injury and bag a Tokyo Olympics berth at the 2021 junior world championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from May 21 to 31.
The 18-year-old lifter from Mizoram became India’s first-ever Youth Olympics gold medallist in 2018. Ahead of Tokyo Olympics, Jeremy Lalrinnunga, who competes in the 67kg category, is India’s best hope for representation in the men’s division.
While women’s weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won the bronze medal at the Asian weightlifting championships 2021 last month, has all but guaranteed her spot in the women’s 49kg category at Tokyo, Jeremy Lalrinnunga still has work to do.
Weightlifting qualification to Tokyo is based on rankings and Jeremy Lalrinnunga is placed in 26th position in his weight class. To qualify for the Summer Games, the Indian weightlifter needs to leapfrog South Korea’s Myeongmok Han, who is in 20th.
The 2021 junior world weightlifting championships is a Gold Level ranking event and the final one within the Olympics qualification window, providing lifters with a good yet last opportunity to put up crucial ranking points.
To have any chance of usurping the South Korean and stand a chance to qualify for Tokyo, Jeremy Lalrinnunga needs to lift at least 310kgs at the Tashkent event.
The feat requires the teenager to better his personal best of 306kg (140kg in snatch and 166kg in clean and jerk), which he set at the Qatar International Cup in Doha in 2019 en route to winning the silver medal at that event.
Another big hurdle the Mizo lifter needs to overcome is a knee injury he suffered during the Asian championships in Tashkent last month. It impacted Jeremy’s performance at the event, where he finished eighth.
The youngster has already undergone an MRI scan and doctors have advised not putting pressure on his feet. Jeremy Lalrinnunga, however, is confident of a timely recovery and is training hard at NIS Patiala.
“I am focusing more on strengthening right now. I have started doing light training with the world event around the corner. I still have more than a fortnight to recover. I hope to compete in the Uzbekistan event and earn requisite ranking points,” Lalrinnunga told the New Indian Express.
Besides Jeremy, Achinta Sheuli (men’s 73kg) will also participate in the junior world championships. Both weightlifters need to reach Tashkent by May 20 and will be given their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination before they leave India.