Bindyarani
Devi
won silver for India in the 55kg weightlifting category at the
Commonwealth Games 2022
on Sunday. Devi, 26, created a Commonwealth Games record
by lifting 116kg in the clean and jerk after a personal best of 86kg in the
snatch section. She lifted a total of 202kg. Bindayarani was outdone by Nigeria’s
Adijat Adenike Olarinoye, who lifted 203kg (92kg+111kg) to win gold. Fraser
Morrow from England won bronze having lifted 198kg (89kg+109kg).

Having won
silver, the 26-year-old weightlifter from Manipur said, “It is my first CWG and
I feel very happy about the silver and about the Games record as well.” The
daughter of a farmer who also runs a grocery shop, Bindyarani Devi, who had
taken up weightlifting because of her short height, had won the Commonwealth
Championships gold in 2019 before winning silver in the 2021 edition.

“I was into
taekwondo from 2008 to 2012 after that I shifted to weightlifting. I had a
height problem so had to shift. Everyone told my height is ideal for
weightlifting. So I changed,” she said.

Going into
the contest, Bindyarani Devi was in the bronze medal finish at the end of the
snatch section. There she lifted 86kg, a personal best. Olarinoye had 92kg to
take a lead and Fraer had 89kg. In course of the clean and jerk, Bindyarani
made an unsuccessful attempt to lift 115kg before finally lifting a kilo more
to lift 116kg and secure the silver medal.

India had a
dream run at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday. India’s weightlifters started
their medal journey with Sanket Sargar who won silver for India. Mirabai Chanu
provided India its first gold and Gururaja Poojary won bronze.

Chanu’s win
opened the gold tally for India at the Commonwealth Games. Chanu had won a
silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. Mirabai lifted a total 201kg – 88 kg in
snatch and 113 kg in clean and jerk – to create a new Commonwealth Games record.