On Saturday at the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 in Jinju, South Korea, India’s Sorokhaibam Bindyarani Devi secured a silver medal in the women’s 55kg category. Bindyarani Devi lifted a combined weight of 194kg, comprising of an 83kg snatch and a 111kg clean & jerk to finish second in the competition. She began with a snatch of 80kg and registered a successful lift of 83kg in her second attempt. Her final attempt of 85kg was unsuccessful. In the clean & jerk, the 24-year-old started with a successful lift of 109kg, followed by a lift of 111kg in her second attempt. However, her third attempt of 115kg was declared a no-lift. Nevertheless, her lift of 111kg was sufficient to secure the silver medal in the clean & jerk section as well.
At the Asian and world championships, medals are awarded for total lifts as well as the snatch and clean and jerk sections. Bindyarani Devi, who had previously competed in the 59kg division at the 2022 World Championships, moved back to the non-Olympic 55kg division for the Asian meet. Chen Guan Ling of China clinched the gold medal with a combined lift of 204kg, while Vietnam’s Vo Thi Quynh Nhu won the bronze medal with a total lift of 192kg.
Shubham Todkar represented India in the men’s 61kg category Group B and finished sixth among nine competitors with a combined weight of 263kg. His lifts included a snatch of 116kg and a clean & jerk of 147kg.
Mirabai Chanu, the Olympic medalist, returned to competitive action on Friday after undergoing hip surgery last December. She finished sixth in the women’s 49kg category. The Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 is the second in the series of qualifying events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Commonwealth Games 2022 gold medalists Jeremy Lalrinninga (men’s 67kg) and Achinta Sheuli (men’s 73kg) will compete later in the tournament. The India squad includes Mirabai Chanu (49kg), Bindyarani Devi (55kg), Shubham Todkar (61kg), Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg), Achinta Sheuli (73kg), and Narayana Ajith (73kg).
