NEW DELHI, July 13: Two-time medallist Mirabai Chanu will once again spearhead the Indian challenge in the World Weightlifting Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in September.
Apart from Chanu (49kg), Commonwealth Games medallists Bindyarani Devi (55kg) and Achinta Sheuli (73kg), Shubham Todkar (61kg) and Narayana Ajith (73kg) will also compete in the world event.
The same squad will be competing at the Asian Games, barring Todkar.
It will be Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Chanu’s first competition since the Asian Championships in May, where she finished sixth.
Chanu and Bindyarani is currently in St Louis, USA for a 65-day camp under Dr Aron Horschig, a former weightlifter-turned-physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach.
“Mira is not injured, we are working on her strength here. She will compete in the Worlds as well as the Asian Games,” national coach Vijay Sharma, who is in the US with Chanu, told PTI.
The time between the Worlds and Asian Games is very less.
The World Championships, which are generally held towards the end of the year in November and December, are scheduled to begin on September 4, and the Asian Games start less than 20 days later in Hangzhou, China from September 23.
While the Asian Games are not a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics, an Asiad medal is the only silverware that Chanu hasn’t won.
A former world champion, Chanu had returned with a silver medal in the previous edition of the World Championships in December last year.
Under the 2024 Olympic qualification rule, the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup are compulsory events.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) will publish the Olympic Qualification Rating (OQR) of each weight category at the end of the qualification period.
A weightlifter’s best three performances at the qualifying events will be taken into account for final assessment.
Indian Squad:
Women: Mirabai Chanu (49kg), Bindyarani Devi (55kg) Men: Shubham Todkar (61kg), Achinta Sheuli (73kg), Narayana Ajith (73kg).
Todkar wins 67kg gold
India’s Shubham Todkar clinched the 61kg gold but he was not the best lifter in the category as compatriot Sidhanta Gogoi, competing in the junior competition, out-performed him on day two of the Commonwealth Championships here on Thursday.
Shubham, who is in the Indian squad for the upcoming World Championships, heaved a total of 259kg (115kg+144kg), while Sidhanta had a best effort of 260kg (112kg+148kg) to be crowned the junior champion.
Shubham’s tournament started on a bad note as he fluffed his first snatch attempt of 113kg. The lifter from Maharashtra looked a little off colour but successfully heaved the weight in his second attempt before lifting 115kg.
In the clean and jerk section, he succeeded in lifting 139kg and 144kg before faltering his 147kg attempt.
“I am very happy because it is my first international medal. This is my third international event. But I am not satisfied with my performance, it was not what expected it to be,” Shubham told after the win.
“My hand slipped during that first snatch attempt and I was not able to clean my third clean and jerk attempt, maybe cutting the weight took away some strength from my thighs,” he added.Sidhanta, on the other hand, was on a roll. The 19-year-old executed five of his six lifts perfectly. The only blip in his impressive performance being the final 152kg clean and jerk lift which he couldn’t complete.
He beat compatriot Shankar Lapung, who lifted 249kg (110kg+139kg) by a massive 12kg margin. (PTI)