Australia: Mirabai Chanu clinched the first gold for India in the Commonwealth Games at women’s 48 kg weightlifting event here on Thursday.
The Manipuri weightlifter lifted 86 kg in Snatch, surpassing her personal best of 85 kg in the Category and then surpassed her 109 kg clean and jerk record to lift 110kg in the category. Her total lift of 196 kg delivered India’s first gold on the first day of the Commonwealth Games 2018 in the women’s 48 kg weightlifting category.
The previous Games’ record was 175 kg set by Augustine Nwaokolo of Nigeria in 2010.
In her first attempt at lean and jerk, she lifted 103 kg. In her next attempt, she lifted 107 kg and improved it in the third attempt by lifting 110 kg, taking her overall score to 196 kg. Chanu also won India’s second medal in the competition after weightlifter P Gururaja had opened the country’s account on the first competition day by claiming a silver in the men’s 56kg category.
This is India’s second medal of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, with P Gururaja winning a silver medal in the men’s 56kg category earlier in the day. Born in 1994 in Imphal East, Manipur, Mirabai Chanu was inspired by Kunjarani Devi and began weightlifting in 2007. She was considered as a successor to 2000 Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari. Chanu shined at a young age and won gold in junior levels at South Asian Junior Games and 2011 International Youth Championship.
Raja Muthupandi, another Indian weightlifter, will be competing in the men’s 62 kg category later on Thursday. (UNI)