CHENNAI: Ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, on Friday, qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 55kg weight category by clinching the gold in the Singapore Weightlifting International at Singapore.
The ministry of youth affairs and sports, along with the ministry of external affairs, also played a part in her qualification as they helped in the issuance of a quarantine free travel permit for Chanu. This in turn facilitated her travel for the Singapore event on February 22.
“Happy to have qualified for the CWG 2022. My participation would not have been possible without the prompt response of MYAS and MEA in facilitating the Vaccinated Travel Lane Pass for me and my team, without which we couldn't have travelled to Singapore for the event,” tweeted Chanu after pocketing the gold by lifting 191kg (86kg+105kg).
Singapore has a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) arrangement and if you possess the pass, you can roam around Singapore quarantine free. It is compulsory for all who arrive in Singapore.
Every vaccination report has a QR code that needs to be uploaded in the VTL app. For Mira however, she had taken the Pfizer vaccination and had got only a handwritten document that didn’t have any QR code. Thus, the certificate was not getting uploaded to the VTL app.
"On being intimated by Mirabai about the issue, the sports ministry requested MEA intervention. After the Singapore Consulate was informed by the MEA and requested to consider Mira’s case, the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) Pass was issued her," read a statement issued by the Sports Authority of India.
Meanwhile, the other three Indian lifters competing on day one of the event — Sanket Sagar (55kg), Rishikanta Singh (55kg) and Bindyarani Devi (59kg) — also sealed Commonwealth Games berths.
Sagar created new Commonwealth and national records in clean and jerk and total lift on his way to gold in the men's 55kg event.
He lifted 256kg (113kg +143kg), edging out compatriot silver medallist Rishikanta, who had a best effort of 246kg (110kg+136kg). Bindyarani lifted 196kg (85kg+111kg) in the women's 59kg competition to win the yellow metal in the five lifter-field.