Birmingham, July 30 (UNI) Indian Weightlifter Sanket Mahadev Sargar won the first medal for India at 2022 Commonwealth Games after clinching a silver in the men’s 55kg category here on Saturday.
Sargar, who is current national record holder, lifted total of 248kg ( Snatch 113 kg; 135kg Clean and Jerk) at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull to be placed second on the podium.
Malaysia's Bin Kasdan Mohamad Aniq lifted a total of 249kg, a Commonwealth Games record in the category, to win the gold medal. Sri Lanka's Dilanka Isuru Kumara Yodage bagged bronze with total lift of 225 Kg.
The 21-year-old Indian, who shattered the national and Commonwealth record with a 256kg lift at the Singapore Weightlifting International in February, began his campaign with a successful 107kg attempt in snatch before managing 111kg in his second.
He then logged 113kg with his third and final lift, equalling his personal best and the Indian national record in snatch.
Heading into the clean and jerk section, Sargar successfully lifted 135kg with his first attempt to guarantee himself a top podium finish. In his second attempt the 21-year-old went for 5kg extension and failed to make it through as he twisted his elbow.
Despite feeling discomfort in his elbow, he went for a gutsy third attempt at the same weight but dropped the bar while executing the jerk. But, he was still in the gold medal position until the very final lift of the competition.
The Malaysian attempted 142kg which he successfully lifted in his final attempt and denied Sargar the gold medal by only a kilo.
UNI BAV