Glasgow: Gyaneshwari Yadav secures silver in weightlifting, Bindyarani Devi eyes medal
Indian weightlifter Gyaneshwari Yadav earned a silver medal in the women’s 53kg event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, achieving a personal best total of 199kg. Her performance included an 88kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk. This achievement was recognized by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who congratulated her on social media, highlighting her personal best and expressing hope that her success would motivate young athletes across the country.
The competition saw Gyaneshwari Yadav in a close contest with Onome Omolola Didih of Nigeria. In the clean and jerk segment, Gyaneshwari successfully lifted 103kg in her opening attempt, maintaining her position in the medal race. She later cleared 107kg, putting pressure on her competitor. The battle for gold intensified as both lifters aimed for 111kg in their final attempts. Gyaneshwari executed a 111kg clean and jerk, but Didih matched the lift, securing the gold medal and leaving Gyaneshwari with the silver.
Bindyarani Devi’s Medal Quest
Attention now shifts to Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam, who is set to compete in the women’s 58kg weightlifting final. The 27-year-old from Manipur is a decorated athlete, having previously won a silver medal in the 55kg category at Birmingham 2022, where she set a Games record with a 116kg clean and jerk, which was also a national record.
Since moving to the 58kg category, Bindyarani Devi has continued her strong form, securing a silver medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships earlier this year with a career-best total of 206kg, comprising a 91kg snatch and a 115kg clean and jerk. In the upcoming final, she will open with an 85kg snatch attempt, placing her among the leading contenders. Other strong competitors include Nigeria’s Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, with an opening attempt of 90kg, and Canada’s Ann Sophie Taschereau, who has a 93kg snatch entry and a 113kg clean and jerk.
Athletics and Swimming Updates
In athletics, Murali Sreeshankar and Lokesh Sathyanathan have both qualified for the men’s long jump final. Sreeshankar achieved a best jump of 8.01m, while Sathyanathan’s best effort was 7.77m. Tejas Shirse also advanced to the men’s 110m hurdles final, finishing third in his heat with a time of 13.76s.
However, sprinter Gurindervir Singh exited the men’s 100m event after finishing 28th overall in the heats with a time of 10.39 seconds. Only the top 17 athletes progressed to the semifinals. Gurindervir, who competed in Heat 4 from lane five, made a strong start but faded in the final meters. His time was below his personal best and national record of 10.09 seconds, set earlier this year at the Federation Cup in Ranchi. Ghana’s Benjamin Azamati and Abdul-Rasheed Saminu were the fastest qualifiers from the heats, clocking 10.00 seconds and 10.01 seconds respectively.
In swimming, Sajan Prakash qualified for the men’s 200m butterfly final with a time of 1:59.58. Swatik Patil also reached the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final, recording the sixth-fastest time in the heats at 1:15.85. Additionally, Sachin Siwach advanced to the men’s 60kg boxing quarter-finals with a 4-1 split-decision win over William Hewitt of England, and Ankush Panghal secured a spot in the men’s 80kg quarter-finals with a 5-0 victory 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.
Source: indiatoday.in
