Weightlifting has been an immensely successful discipline for India at the top sporting events all around the world. The sport has been given a silver lining since the emergence of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu at the Tokyo Olympics, which has been followed by the debuts of several young weightlifters, such as Sanket Sargar, Jeremy Lalrinnunga and others.
Similar to the others, Lovepreet Singh also broke into the limelight when he won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022. However, although he has won a medal at the CWG, he remains behind a veil of shadow for the majority of Indian fans. One of the best Indian athletes in the discipline currently, let’s take a look at who Lovepreet Singh is and how he reached where he is today.
Also Read: Commonwealth Games 2022: Lovepreet Singh bags bronze medal in weightlifting
Born on September 6, 1997, in Amritsar, Punjab, Lovepreet began weightlifting training in 2010, when he was only 13. A late bloomer, he struggled to win laurels at the national level in his earlier years, however, hard work and determination in seven years helped him to be selected for the Indian National camp in 2017.
Lovepreet first came to attention when he won the bronze medal at the 2017 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal. He followed the bronze medal with a gold at the Commonwealth Junior Championship in the same year in Gold Coast, Australia. He lifted a total of 325kg (150kg in snatch and 175kg in clean & jerk) to claim the gold medal in Australia.
Also Read: CWG 2022: Indian weightlifter Vikas Thakur strikes silver in men’s 96kg
Following the COVID-19 lockdown, Lovepreet Singh won the silver medal at the 2021 Commonwealth Senior Championship 2021 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. His consistent performances helped him to get a job for the Indian Navy, where he is employed currently.
He replicated his earlier performance at the Commonwealth Games 2022, winning the bronze medal in the men’s 109kg weightlifting event on August 3, helping India to bag its 14th overall medal.
