Weightlifting success and athletic qualifications
Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam earned a bronze medal in the women’s 58kg weightlifting final. She achieved a total of 199 kg, with a successful 112 kg lift in the clean and jerk. Earlier in the competition, Gyaneshwari Yadav secured a silver medal in the women’s 53kg event, setting a personal best total of 199kg, which included an 88kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk.
In the women’s 58kg snatch event, Bindyarani Devi completed her attempts with a lift of 87kg. Rafiatu Folashade Lawal of Nigeria set new Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth records with a 103kg snatch, while Ann Sophie Taschereau of Canada achieved 94kg. Bindyarani Devi‘s performance in the clean and jerk round was crucial, as she initially had a 110kg lift disallowed after a review indicated a slight bend in her left elbow. However, she successfully lifted 112 kg on a subsequent attempt, which temporarily placed her in the silver medal position before the final lifts by other competitors.
The competition saw Margarett Bless Harris of Nauru open the clean and jerk round with a 75kg lift. Other medal contenders, including Bindyarani Devi, Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, and Ann-Sophie Taschereau, began their clean and jerk attempts later. Eliza Pratt of England, who lifted 87kg in the snatch, successfully lifted 106kg in her first clean and jerk attempt.
Indian athletes progress in track and field
In athletics, Tejas Shirse advanced to the men’s 110m hurdles final, finishing third in his heat with a time of 13.76 seconds. Shirse had previously broken the men’s 110m hurdles national record with a time of 13.27s during the Indian Athletics Series in Ludhiana. He also won gold at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar and claimed the Federation Cup title in Ranchi. His journey to the Commonwealth Games followed a recovery from a serious right ankle injury that had sidelined him for over four months.
Shirse reflected on his recovery, stating that achieving the 13.27s time and qualifying for the Commonwealth Games were not initially part of his plan. He described the period of his injury as one of the most challenging, causing him frustration and sleepless nights. Despite the difficulties, he maintained belief in himself and, with the support of his team, including physio Nilesh Makwana and coach James Hillier, emerged stronger. Hillier noted the extraordinary achievement of Shirse breaking the national record just two months after resuming track training on April 13.
In other athletic events, Murali Sreeshankar and Lokesh Sathyanathan both qualified for the men’s long jump final. Sreeshankar achieved a best jump of 8.01m, while Sathyanathan recorded a best effort of 7.77m. Sreeshankar‘s season’s best is 8.38m, which he achieved last month at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar. He is aiming to improve on his silver medal from the 2022 Games, following his recovery from a knee injury in April 2024.
The men’s high jump final will feature Sarvesh Kushare, Tejaswin Shankar, and Aadarsh Ram. Kushare enters the competition having broken the national record with a leap of 2.31m. Shankar previously won a bronze medal at the last edition of the Games, and Ram has a personal best of 2.27m. In the men’s 100m heats, Gurindervir Singh finished 28th overall with a time of 10.39 seconds, not advancing to the semi-finals, where only the top 17 qualified. Gurindervir had broken the national record in Ranchi with a time of 10.09 seconds.
Swimming and boxing advancements
In swimming, Sajan Prakash qualified for the men’s 200m butterfly final with a time of 1:59.58. Swatik Patil also advanced to the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final in para swimming, recording the sixth-fastest time of 1:15.85 in the heats.
Boxing saw Sachin Siwach move into the men’s 60kg quarter-finals after a 4-1 split-decision win against William Hewitt of England. Ankush Panghal also secured a spot in the men’s 80kg quarter-finals with a 5-0 win over Zalaan Jan of Antigua and Barbuda in the Round of 16. Protistha Samanta finished seventh in the women’s vault final in artistic gymnastics.
Upcoming events include Putul Sonowal in men’s singles sectional play for lawn bowls against Anwar Hamada of Kenya. In boxing, Sakshi will compete in the women’s 51kg Round of 16 against Lethabo Modukanele of Botswana, and Sumit will face Jon McConnell of Northern Ireland in the men’s 70kg Round of 16. Medal events scheduled include the women’s shot put F57 final with Shilpa Kanchugarakoppalu Shyla and Sharmila, the men’s high jump final, the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 final, the men’s 79kg weightlifting final with Valluri Ajay Babu, the men’s 800m freestyle final with Aryan Nehra, the men’s 200m butterfly final, the men’s T38 100m final with Rakeshbhai Bhatt and Shreyansh Trivedi, and the men’s 110m hurdles final.
Source: indiatoday.in
