India’s Sivalingam Sathish Kumar and Ragala Venkat Rahul qualified for next year’s Commonwealth Games after winning the gold medal in their respective weight divisions at the Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championships for men and women in Gold Coast, Australia on Thursday.
Rahul created several new records en-route to his standout total lift of 351 kg while competing in both senior and junior men’s categories. He lifted 156 kg in snatch and 195 kg in clean & jerk.
2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sathish Kumar lifted 148 kg in snatch and 172 kg in clean & jerk for a total effort of 320 kg in senior men’s 77 kg.
Meanwhile, the Indians did well in the junior and youth sections as well.
In junior men’s 77 kg, Ajay Singh bagged gold with a total lift of 310 kg (140 kg + 170 kg). In youth boys category, Ragala Varun clinched the gold with an overall effort of 269 kg, while Abhishek Poonia settled for a bronze as he lifted 113 kg in snatch and 143 kg in clean & jerk for a total of 256 kg.
Two Indian women weightlifters also claimed gold medals on the day. S Nirupama Devi (junior women’s 69 kg) lifted a total weight of 178 kg (77 kg + 101 kg) while Nikeeta Kale (youth girls 69 kg) lifted a total of 163kg (73 kg + 90 kg) to win the medal.