Vijay Sharma, the chief national weightlifting coach of India, is optimistic about the progress of the nation's young lifters. He believes that India is on the verge of breaking its 28-year medal drought at the Asian Games, especially following a strong performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games. After Gyaneshwari Yadav and Bindyarani Devi contributed two more medals on Day 5 in Glasgow, Sharma stated, "We need to enhance our weightlifting efforts significantly. Our young athletes' performances are encouraging. Gyaneshwari Yadav improved her total by six kilograms today. We are hopeful about ending the long-standing medal drought at the Asian Games and are determined to bring home a medal this time."
Strong Start at the Commonwealth Games
India has kicked off its weightlifting campaign at the Commonwealth Games impressively, securing five out of six medals in this sport. The medal winners include Mirabai Chanu (gold), Rishikanta Singh (silver), Muthupandi Raja (silver), Gyaneshwari Yadav (silver), and Bindyarani Devi (bronze), with Jhandu Kumar also earning bronze in para powerlifting. The last time India won a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games was in 1998 in Bangkok, where Karnam Malleswari took home silver. Since then, the country has faced medal-less outings in the 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 editions. The upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September-October 2026 will be another chance for India to end this drought, with top lifters like Mirabai Chanu focusing on this continental event.
Bindyarani Devi's Remarkable Bronze Achievement
Bindyarani Devi recently added to India's medal tally by winning bronze in the women's 58kg category, marking her second consecutive Commonwealth Games medal after securing silver in Birmingham 2022. The 27-year-old from Manipur showcased a strong performance, finishing behind Nigeria's Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, who won gold with a Commonwealth Games record total of 229kg, and Canada's Ann Sophie Taschereau, who took silver with 215kg.
Bindyarani started her snatch attempts with a successful lift of 83kg, followed by 85kg and 87kg, tying with England's Eliza Pratt but winning on countback.
Her clean and jerk segment began with a setback as her first attempt of 110kg was deemed a no-lift due to an elbow buckle. However, she bounced back by lifting 112kg on her second attempt, achieving an overall total of 199kg. Although she was unable to lift 116kg in her final attempt, her total was sufficient to secure the bronze medal.
This podium finish is a significant achievement for Bindyarani, especially after recovering from a knee injury in 2023 and transitioning between the 55kg and 58kg weight classes before returning to the Commonwealth Games podium.
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