Mirabai Chanu bags gold at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship

Guwahati: Former world champion Saikhom Mirabai Chanu won a gold medal on the opening day of the Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championship in Apia, Samoa on Tuesday.

Mirabai lifted a total of 191 kg (84 kg + 107 kg) in the senior women’s 49 kg category of the Olympic-qualifying event. The Manipuri weightlifter last took part at the Asian Championship in Ningbo, China in April earlier this year, where she lifted 199 kg (86 kg+113 kg), but missed a medal.

The Indian contingent in total won 13 medals, including eight gold, three silver and two bronze medals in senior, junior and youth categories at the event.

Also Read: Manipur: 14 shopkeepers evicted from reserve forest area in Imphal

The qualification process for the 2020 Olympics is based on the performances of the weightlifters in six events over a period of 18 months out of which best four results logged by a lifter will be considered.

Also, Jhilli Dalabehra clinched the first place on the podium with a lift of 154 kg (70 kg + 94 kg) in the senior women’s 45 kg event. However, it is not an Olympic weight category.

In the senior women’s 55 kg event, Soroikhaibam Bindyarani Devi and Matsa Santoshi won gold and silver medals respectively.

Bindyarani lifted 78 kg in snatch to bag a silver medal, and she won a gold for her effort of 105 kg in clean and jerk as well as the overall gold.

Santoshi stood first in snatch with a lift of 80 kg but could only manage 102 kg in clean and jerk taking her total to 182 kg. Also, in the senior men’s 55 kg category, Rishikanta Singh bagged gold with a total lift of 235 kg (105 kg+130 kg).