19-year-old Jeremy Lalrinnunga bagged his first Commonwealth Games medal with a combined total lift of 300kg to win gold in the men's 67kg weightlifting at the 2022 edition of the tournament in Birmingham on Sunday, 31 July.
En route to his victory, the Mizoram-born lifter set a new Games record in the Snatch (140kg lift) category while his overall lift weight of 300kg also set a new CWG record. Samoa's Vaipava Nevo Ioane (293kg) and Nigeria's Edidiong Joseph Umoafia (290kg) took the silver and bronze respectively.
Young Jeremy became the second Indian to win a gold for India at the 2022 CWG following Mirabai Chanu's first-place finish in the weightlifting women's 49kg event on Saturday.
Lalrinnunga started his campaign with relative ease in the snatch category, lifting a staggering 136kg in his first attempt. The young Indian then set a new Games record in his second attempt by lifting 140kg.
He, however, failed to cross the 143kg mark in his third and final attempt. Had Jeremy succeeded, he would have set a new personal best for himself.
Nevertheless, the young Indian lifter's 143kg in the snatch event gave him a 10kg safe lead over second-placed Edidiong Joseph Umoafia (130kg) of Nigeria at the end of the first round.
Following the snatch event, Jeremy lifted 154kg in his first attempt in clean and jerk which put him on top of the table. The young lifter, however, injured himself in the process and looked in visible pain.
Disregarding his pain, Jeremy came back to lift 160kg in his second attempt, which once again put him in the lead. The Aizawl-born lifter did not want to stop and tried to lift 165kg in his third attempt, but only to fail as the injury finally seemed to have taken a toll on his body.
Jeremy Thanks Coach Vijay Sharma
Having won his maiden Commonwealth gold, young Jeremy did not forget to thank his coach Vijay Sharma for guiding him throughout.
"My coach, Vijay Sharma was amazing and guided me through the entire event with care. He picked up my weights with care, first assuring that I get the medal. I am very thankful to him," said Lalrinnunge.
The Indian weightlifter also talked in detail about the pain he had to undergo while competing.
"I had pulled a muscle in my thigh and hip regions early in the morning. We had used the services of the physio and though it reduced the impact, it was still uncomfortable," Lalrinnunge said after clinching her gold medal.
Coach Vijay Sharma had rushed out to the podium and escorted Jeremy back to the warm-up zone following the injury he sustained during his first attempt at clean and jerk. The physio, who was at the weightlifting venue since the morning tended to his muscles, and tried to treat the muscle pull further.
"I felt this uncomfortable pain in his thighs and hip from the morning itself and actually completed the clean and jerk as if in a daze. I had no idea what weights I was lifting and what were the others doing," Lalrinnunge said.
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