CHENNAI: India's Gurdeep Singh, who missed out on a bronze medal four years ago in Gold Coast, redeemed himself by finishing third in the +109kg weight category at the NEC Hall 1 in Birmingham on Wednesday to take India's weightlifting tally to 10. The 26-year-old from Punjab lifted an overall weight of 390kg (167 in snatch and 223 in clean & jerk) to finish behind Pakistan's Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt (173+232=405) and New Zealand's David Andrew Liti (170+224=394). Butt broke the Games records in all three sections on his way to the gold medal.
The 10-medal haul also meant Indian weightlifters matched their best show at the Commonwealth Games achieved eight years ago in Glasgow. They finished first on the medal tally ahead of England and Canada, respectively. Indian lifters had won nine medals in the previous edition including five gold, two silver and two bronze. However, this time around, they clinched three gold, as many silver and four bronze."Gurdeep finished fourth in Gold Coast. When he returned, he was a bit disappointed as he felt he couldn't give his best because of a back problem," Bhag Singh, Gurdeep's father, told The New Indian Express ahead of the event.
The lifter had promised his father that he would return with a medal and he kept his word by finishing on the podium."We had advised him to rest for a few days after experiencing heartbreak in the previous edition. He remained upset for a couple of days and then started his preparations for the next event. This medal will certainly motivate him to do even better in the upcoming events," added the father.
Earlier, Gurdeep finished joint third with England's Gordon Shaw after the snatch section with his best lift of 167kg. The eventual gold medallist from Pakistan (173kg) and silver medallist from New Zealand (170kg) were first and second respectively. The Indian lifted 207kg in his first clean and jerk attempt but couldn't lift 215kg in his next. However, he made amends in his third and last attempt by lifting 223kg, a Games record. The effort also ensured him a podium finish.