CHENNAI: Indian weightlifters continued their good run at the ongoing Commonwealth Championships in Tashkent, with Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli winning a gold each in their respective weight categories on Friday to qualify for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The 2018 Youth Olympics gold medallist Jeremy set a new national record in snatch in 67kg, while Achinta broke two records — clean & jerk and total — in 73kg en route to the top finish.
The Championships also serves as a qualifying event of the 2022 CWG in Birmingham. The gold medallists in each weight category at the Commonwealth Championships directly qualify for the 2022 CWG and the rest will qualify through Commonwealth rankings.
"I felt pain in my upper body around a fortnight ago. An MRI scan said muscle strain which prevented me from giving my best in the clean and jerk event. Overall, I am happy that I have won a gold in the Commonwealth Championships," Jeremy told this daily from Tashkent.
Despite the pain, Jeremy set a national record in snatch section (141kg). The Mizo lifter though could not breach his personal best mark of 306 (snatch 140kg and clean & jerk 166kg) but the effort of 305kg was enough to help him finish first. The muscle strain meant he could not better his mark of 164kg after failing to lift 168kg in clean and jerk.
The 19-year-old was placed fourth in snatch and seventh overall in the World Championships, which is being held simultaneously with the Commonwealth Championships. Going ahead, Jeremy said he aims to lift 320kg and the target seems achievable given the time he has before upcoming events.
Meanwhile, Achinta lifted 143kg in snatch before setting a national record in clean and jerk by lifting 173kg. He even tried to lift 176kg in his last attempt but failed. However, the lift of 173kg was enough to help him lift a total of 316kg, again a national record.
"Achinta set two national records (one each in clean & jerk and total) and won the gold in Commonwealth Championships. He finished seventh in the World Championships," Vijay Sharma, head coach, told this daily.