Delhi, Dec 29
\nIndia\u2019s medal-winning athletes are aiming to reach higher levels in the new year after their impressive show at the December 19-25 Asian youth and junior weightlifting championships 2024 in Doha. Overall, India won 33 medals across youth and junior categories.<\/p>\n
The next target for the lifters is Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification and national weightlifting coach and Olympian Mirabai Chanu\u2019s mentor Vijay Sharma says the Doha performance was promising and signals \u201ca bright future for India.\u201d<\/p>\n
The weightlifting competition in Qatar featured 40 categories \u2013 20 each in youth and junior levels. Medals were awarded for snatch, clean and jerk and overall sections in each of the 40 categories.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s youth (13-17 years) lifters won 21 medals, including seven golds. The juniors (15-20 years) won 12 medals. Uttar Pradesh\u2019s 16-year-old Jyoshna Sabar was among the standout performers in Doha. She created an Asian record in the women\u2019s youth 40kg class with a combined lift of 135 kgs. This reiterated Sharma\u2019s thoughts that \u201cIndia\u2019s women had greater prospects of winning international medals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Khelo India’s mission to tap grassroots talent and then groom them into potential winners at the international stage got a major boost as out of the 24 men and women who represented India at Doha, 22 were Khelo India Athletes (KIA). The entire squad trained at one of the three centres at Sports Authority of India (SAI) National Centres of Excellence (NCoEs) NIS Patiala, Imphal and Aurangabad.<\/p>\n
Alakesh Baruah, the High Performance Manager for weightlifting at NIS Patiala, said: \u201cHaving so many youth athletes will only help in the long run. These kids hold great promise for the world junior and senior competitions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baruah explained that the medals in Doha were due to a \u201clong process (of training) and support from SAI and the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF).\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn June, we held trials at NIS Patiala for multiple international competitions like the junior worlds, Asian championships, as well as the Asian youth and junior. This is how we selected the team, under the guidance of Dronacharya Award-winning coach (Vijay) Sharma,\u201d added Baruah.<\/p>\n
Speaking on her upcoming plans, Maibam Martina Devi, silver medallist in the women’s Junior +87kg category at the 2024 Asian meet, told SAI Media, \u201cCome 2025, our trials start for Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification. Ahmedabad will host the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, which will be the qualifier event. I also will participate at the National Games in Uttarakhand. So, I have to keep performing well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Among the men, Sairaj Pardeshi, a camper of NIS Patiala, created a new national record in the overall lift, as he lifted 310kg (139kg snatch + 171kg clean and jerk) in the 81kg men\u2019s youth category.<\/p>\n
Sairaj, who will complete one year at the NIS Patiala in January 2025, credited the impact of training at SAI centres on his fledgling career.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was in 2018 that I started weightlifting in Maharashtra when I was 12 years old. I trained there until the Covid lockdown and then in 2021, got inducted at Aurangabad. Earlier this year, I joined NIS Patiala. The SAI centres have contributed a lot to my career in terms of discipline, diet, coaches and many more aspects,\u201d he told SAI Media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scholarship money we get more the Khelo India scheme, also helps in me getting the protein supplements besides other benefits. In the 2024 Youth World Championships, I lost a medal by a margin of 1kg, but now, I am happy to have bagged the gold in the Asian competition on my debut appearance,\u201d Sairaj Pardeshi added.<\/p>\n
Full list of medallists:<\/p>\n
Junior Category<\/p>\n
Sanjana: Silver (Women’s Junior 76kg – Clean & Jerk), Silver (Women’s Junior 76kg – Total)
\nNilam Devi: Silver (Women’s Junior 55kg – Snatch), Silver (Women’s Junior 55kg – Clean & Jerk), Silver (Women’s Junior 55kg – Total)
\nMaibam Martina Devi: Silver (Women’s Junior +87kg – Total), Silver (Women’s Junior +87kg – Clean & Jerk), Bronze (Women’s Junior +87kg – Snatch)
\nValluri Ajaya Babu: Silver (Men’s Junior 81kg – Snatch)
\nPayal: Bronze (Women’s Junior 45kg – Total), Bronze (Women’s Junior 45kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nShankar Lapung: Bronze (Men’s Junior 61kg – Total)
\nYouth Category<\/p>\n
Jyoshna Sabar: Gold (Women’s Youth 40kg – Total), Gold (Women’s Youth 40kg – Snatch), Gold (Women’s Youth 40kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nPayal: Gold (Women’s Youth 45kg – Total), Gold (Women’s Youth 45kg – Snatch), Bronze (Women’s Youth 45kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nKoyel Bar: Gold (Women’s Youth 55kg – Clean & Jerk), Silver (Women’s Youth 55kg – Total), Bronze (Women’s Youth 55kg – Snatch)
\nSairaj Pardeshi: Gold (Men’s Youth 81kg – Total), Silver (Men’s Youth 81kg – Snatch), Silver (Men’s Youth 81kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nPreetismita Bhoi: Silver (Women’s Youth 45kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nSanjana: Silver (Women’s Youth 76kg – Total), Silver (Women’s Youth 76kg – Snatch), Silver (Women’s Youth 76kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nK Oviya: Silver (Women’s Youth 81kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nBabulal Hembrom: Bronze (Men’s Youth 49kg – Total)
\nAsmita Dhone: Bronze (Women’s Youth 49kg – Clean & Jerk)
\nParv Chaudhary: Bronze (Men’s Youth 96kg – Clean & Jerk), Bronze (Men’s Youth 96kg – Total)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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