Bindyarani Devi secures bronze in weightlifting as Indian athletes advance
Weightlifting Medals for India
Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam earned a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg weightlifting final. Her performance included a total lift of 199kg, comprising an 87kg snatch and a 112kg clean and jerk. This marks India’s fifth weightlifting medal in Glasgow. Devi, a 2022 Birmingham silver medallist, secured her medal after a successful 112kg lift in the clean and jerk, following an earlier 110kg attempt that was disallowed after review.
In the same event, Nigeria’s Rafiatu Folashade Lawal set a new Games Record with a total of 229kg (103kg snatch and 126kg clean and jerk), winning the competition by a significant margin. Canada’s Ann Sophie Taschereau claimed silver with 215kg (94kg snatch and 121kg clean and jerk). England’s 19-year-old Eliza Pratt finished fourth, lifting 199kg (87kg snatch and 109kg clean and jerk).
Earlier, Gyaneshwari Yadav secured a silver medal in the women’s 53kg event. She achieved a personal-best total of 199kg, with an 88kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk. Yadav’s performance on her Commonwealth Games debut pushed gold medallist Onome Omolola Didih to her final lifts. Other weightlifting medals for India include gold for Mirabai Chanu in the women’s 48kg category, with a new Commonwealth Games record of 190kg total (85kg snatch + 105kg clean & jerk). Rishikanta Singh Chanambam won silver in the men’s 60kg, equalling the Commonwealth Games snatch record with a 121kg lift as part of his 264kg total. Muthupandi Raja also secured a silver medal in the men’s 65kg category.
Athletics and Swimming Progress
In athletics, Murali Sreeshankar and Lokesh Sathyanathan both qualified for the men’s long jump final. Sreeshankar achieved a jump of 8.01m, meeting the direct qualification standard in his first attempt. Sathyanathan secured his place with a best effort of 7.77m. Tejas Shirse advanced to the men’s 110m hurdles final, finishing third in his heat with a time of 13.76 seconds. Shirse had previously broken the men’s 110m hurdles national record with a time of 13.27s during the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana and won gold at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
Shirse’s journey to the Commonwealth Games followed a recovery from a serious right ankle injury that sidelined him for over four months. His coach, James Hillier, noted that Shirse resumed track training in April and broke the national record in June. In the men’s high jump final, Sarvesh Kushare, Tejaswin Shankar, and Aadarsh Ram are set to compete. Kushare recently broke the national record with a leap of 2.31m, while Shankar won bronze in the previous edition of the Games. Gurindervir Singh, however, did not advance in the men’s 100m, finishing 28th overall in the heats with a time of 10.39 seconds; only the top 17 progressed to the semi-finals.
In swimming, Sajan Prakash qualified for the men’s 200m butterfly final with a time of 1:59.58. Swatik Patil also advanced to the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final in para swimming, recording the sixth-fastest time in the heats at 1:15.85. In boxing, Sachin Siwach moved to the men’s 60kg quarter-finals after a 4-1 split-decision victory over England’s William Hewitt. Ankush Panghal also reached the men’s 80kg quarter-finals with a 5-0 win against Zalaan Jan of Antigua and Barbuda in the Round of 16. In artistic gymnastics, Protistha Samanta finished seventh in the women’s vault final.
Upcoming events for India include Putul Sonowal in men’s singles sectional play in lawn bowls, Sakshi in women’s 51kg boxing, and Shilpa Kanchugarakoppalu Shyla and Sharmila in the women’s shot put F57 final in para athletics. The men’s high jump final will feature Sarvesh Anik Kushare, Aadfarsh Shankar, and Tejaswin Shankar. Swatik Patil will compete in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final in para swimming. Valluri Ajay Babu is scheduled for the men’s 79kg weightlifting final. Sumit will participate in the men’s 70kg boxing Round of 16, while Aryan Nehra is in the men’s 800m freestyle final. Sajan Prakash will compete in the men’s 200m butterfly final. Rakeshbhai Bhatt and Shreyansh Trivedi are in the men’s T38 100m final in para athletics, and Tejas Shirse will compete in the men’s 110m hurdles final.
Source: indiatoday.in
