It’s A Gold: 19-Year Old Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga Wins Gold In CWG 2022

Birmingham: 19-Year-Old India weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga has given India its second gold in the Commonwealth Games 2022. Jeremy lifted a total of 300 KG to secure first place finish and give India its second gold after Mirabai Chanu won gold in the women’s 49kg category on Saturday. Samoa’s Vaipava Nevo Loane took the silver medal with 293kg (127kg and 166kg) while Nigeria’s Edidiong Joseph Umoafia clinched the bronze medal with an overall lift of 290kg (130kg and 160kg) as the 10kg gap made in snatch by Jeremy proved to be decisive.

At the National Exhibition Centre, Jeremy began with a 136kg lift in his first attempt in the snatch phase of the competition, taking the lead immediately. He later improved that with a 140kg lift and despite being unsuccessful in the third attempt of lifting 143kg, which could have been his personal best, Jeremy remained on top of the competition at the end of the snatch phase with a 10kg lead.

In the clean & jerk round, Jeremy began with a successful lift of 154kg, but in the process, he injured himself. He came back to successfully lift 160kg in the second attempt and took his aggregate to 300kg. But he again fell down immediately and felt some pain in the back after completing the lift.

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Despite not being at his 100 per cent best, Jeremy tried to lift 165kg but failed to do so and clutched his left elbow immediately. The support staff had to take a teary Jeremy quickly to the backstage. Loane failed to lift 174kg in his final attempt of clean and jerk, giving Jeremy and India a gold medal.

Jeremy had won the gold medal in the boys’ 62kg category with a lift of 274kg (124kg in snatch and 150kg in clean and jerk) in 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, Argentina, becoming India’s first gold medallist in the history of the competition. He had won the gold medal in men’s 67kg category during the 2021 Commonwealth Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan by lifting 305kg (141kg in snatch and 164kg in clean & jerk), which propelled him to qualify for ongoing 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Gold 🥇medal it is !!

19 year old Jeremy Lalrinnunga does it in style lifts 160kg in C&J 2nd attempt despite in tremendous pain!

Wht a raw talent congrats 👏 to him!

Hope he get well soon.
Billion prayers with u champ .#JeremyLalrinnunga #CommonwealthGames #weightlifting pic.twitter.com/OzTAUffLpT

— Soug (@sbg1936) July 31, 2022

Meanwhile, India so far have won five medals in the Commonwealth Games 2022, including Jeremy’s gold. All of Idia’s medals have come in weightlifting. Sanket Sargar opened the account for India by winning a Silver in the 55 Kg category before Gururaja Poojary won a Bronze in the 56 Kg category. Tokyo Olympics Silver medal winner and defending champion Mirabai Chanu gave India its first Gold in the 49 KG category while Bindiyarani Devi ended a fabulous day for India by winning Silver in the 55 Kg category.

With Inputs From IANS