Bindyarani Devi of India took home the silver medal in the women’s 55 kg weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2022 on Saturday, bringing India’s tally to four. She appeared to be on track for a bronze medal until she failed her second 114kg clean and jerk attempt.
However, she attempted 116 kg with her final lift and came second, weighing just 1 kg less than gold medalist Adijat Olarinoye of Nigeria. The 23-year-old lifted 202 kg in total. She lifted 86 kg in the snatch round and 116 kg in the clean and jerk round, setting a Commonwealth Games record.
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Each contestant performs the two lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch involves quickly lifting the weights above the head with a broad grip. The clean and jerk is performed by first raising the weights to your shoulders (clean), then lifting them above your head (jerk).
Adijat Adenike Olarinoye of Nigeria also broke the Games record in snatch and total effort, winning the gold medal with an aggregate of 203kg (92kg 111kg).
Fraer Morrow, the local favourite, finished third with a total lift of 198kg (86kg 109kg).
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Previously, Mirabai Chanu had won India’s first gold medal, while Sanket Sargar and Gururaja Poojary had won silver and bronze, respectively.
Bindyarani Devi made her international debut in the 2016 World Youth Championship in Penang, Malaysia. Bindyarani finished 10th overall in her maiden major competition.
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She rose to notoriety after earning India’s first World Weightlifting Championship medal in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Bindyarani Devi won the 54-kg women’s 55-kg clean & jerk competition. The then-22-year-old hauled a total of 198 kilograms to pull off the theft for her country (with the best being 114 kg).
She also earned a silver medal at the 2021 Commonwealth Games.
