CHENNAI: India's weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg) on Monday finished a disappointing eighth in the Asian Championships lifting a total of 302kg, four kg less than his personal best. The 2018 Youth Olympics champion lifted 139kg in snatch and 163kg in clean and jerk.
However, the lowly finish is unlikely to jeopardize his chance of making an Olympic cut. “He developed pain in his knee during his first attempt in clean and jerk. As per my calculation, he would be able to qualify for the Games as he is top-ranked lifter in his weight category outside the top-eight from the continent. A final announcement in this regard will be made next month,” Vijay Sharma, chief coach, told this daily.
His personal best of 306kg (140kg in snatch and 166kg in clean and jerk) came in Qatar International Cup in Doha in 2019 wherein he bagged a silver medal.
The 18-year-old lifter from Mizoram began with 135kg but failed to lift 139kg in his second attempt. He succeeded in his third attempt to finish sixth after the snatch session.
In clean and jerk, he lifted 163kg but failed to lift 168kg in the two subsequent attempts. Sharma attributed the failure to knee pain that began during the first attempt.
“Jeremy is in direct competition against a Saudi Arabian lifter. He has 500 Robi points more than his competitor. The Saudi Arabian lifted also lifted 302kg today (Monday) so I don’t think he can catch up with Jeremy as far as ranking is concerned,” said the coach.