The medal rush from the sport of weightlifting continued for India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games as Jeremy Lalrinnunga won a gold in the men’s 67kg category. This is India’s second gold medal of the campaign after ace lifter Mirabai Chanu kept her promise and delivered a gold on Saturday.
The 19-year-old from Aizwal wrote the Games snatch (140kg) and overall lift (300kg) records in his name but not before an injury scare as twice he grimaced in pain during the clean and jerk attempts.
However, now the teen sensation has his eyes set on the Paris Olympics gold medal. “If you want a medal just put a picture of it as your mobile phone wallpaper,” that’s Jeremy Lalrinnunga’s simple way of manifesting his dreams into reality. The trick has a 100 per cent success record. It worked at the 2018 Youth Olympics, where Jeremy won India’s first-ever gold and then again on Sunday when he claimed the yellow metal in the men’s 67kg event at the CWG. The champion dominated the men’s 67kg competition with a total lift of 300kg (140kg+160kg), finishing ahead of Samoa’s Vaipava Nevo Ioane, who managed a total of 293kg (127kg +166kg). Nigeria’s Edidiong Joseph Umoafia took bronze with an effort of 290kg (130kg+160kg).
Jeremy opened up a huge 10kg gap with the nearest rival Edidiong Joseph Umoafia when he lifted 140kg in a successful second attempt. He had begun with 136kg. Jeremy further targetted 143kg in his final attempt, but did not succeed.