Young weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga wins second gold medal for India

BIRMINGHAM: India's Young weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga wins India's second gold medal at Commonwealth Games with record total lift of 300kg, providing the country's fifth weightlifting medal in as many categories at the Commonwealth Games here. Earlier in the day, Bindyarani Devi raised her game to secure a silver in the women's 55kg category,

By winning the gold, Jeremy Lalrinnunga smashed two Games records. The 2018 Youth Olympic champion dominated the men's 67kg competition with a total lift of 300kg (140kg+160kg), finishing ahead of Samoa's Vaipava Nevo Ioane, who managed a total of 293kg (127kg +166kg). Nigeria's Edidiong Joseph Umoafia took bronze with an effort of 290kg (130kg+160kg).

The 19-year-old from Aizwal wrote the Games snatch (140kg) and overall lift (300kg) record in his name but not before an injury scare as twice he grimaced in pain during the clean and jerk attempts.

Jeremy opened up a huge 10kg gap with the nearest rival Edidiong Joseph Umoafia when he lifted 140kg in a successful second attempt. He had begun with 136kg.

Jeremy further targetted 143kg in his final attempt, but did not succeed.
In Clean and Jerk, the 2021 Commonwealth Championship winner began with 154kg and followed that up with 160kg, but could not complete the 165kg attempt.

This was India's fifth medal from the weightlifting arena with Mirabai Chanu (gold), Sanket Sargar (silver), Bidyarani Devi (silver) and Gururaj Poojary (bronze) earning podium finishes on Saturday.

The son of a national-level boxer Lalneihtluanga, Lalrinnunga also aspired to don the gloves but shifted to weightlifting as it involved just power to excel, something he found fascinating.

Earlier in the day, the 23-year-old Bindyarani Devi created a Games record by lifting 116kg in the clean and jerk after a personal best of 86kg in the snatch section, totalling 202 kg on Saturday.

The gold medal expectedly went to Nigeria's Adijat Adenike Olarinoye, who lifted 203kg (92kg+111kg). She also smashed the Games record in snatch and total effort. Local favourite England's Fraer Morrow bagged the bronze with a 198kg effort (89kg+109kg).

“It is my first CWG and I feel very happy about the silver and about the Games record as well,” Bindyarani said.

Like Chanu, Bindyarani too hails from Manipur. She had won the Commonwealth Championships gold in 2019 before getting a silver in the 2021 edition. The daughter of a farmer who also owns grocery shop, Bindyarani took up weightlifting due to her short height.

“I was into taekwondo from 2008 to 2012 after that I shifted to weightlifting. I had a height problem so had to shift. Everyone told my height is ideal for weightlifting. So I changed.”

Bindyarani was in the bronze medal finish after the snatch section with a personal best of 86kg, behind Olarinoye (92kg) and Fraer (89kg).
The Indian made an unsuccessful second attempt for 115 kg before lifting a kilogram more to elevate her to silver medal position from bronze as Morrow fluffed her final 115kg attempt.