Will Indian weightlifting have any representation in the 2016 Rio Olympics? It’s a big question that will only be best answered when the Asian Olympic Qualifying Weightlifting Championship gets over in Samarkand, Uzbekistan later this month.
The Indian weightlifting fans will be expecting a lot from our lifters – remember, the Asian Olympic Qualifying Weightlifting Championship is the last opportunity for weightlifters from the Asian region to vie for Olympic berths. Only, the African, Oceania and Pan American Championships are slated to be held in the months of May and June.
Since it is the final opportunity for the Indian lifters to seal their Olympic berth, the Asian Olympic Qualifying Weightlifting Championship attaches so much significance.
It may be worth recalling that the Indian weightlifters (both men and women) had turned in a disappointing performance at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championship in Houston, USA. A 15-member team comprising eight men lifters and seven women lifters are expected to duke it out in Uzbekistan.
“Our weightlifters have work hard at our camp in Patiala. If everything goes to plan, we should have some weightlifters featuring in the Rio Olympics. Our focus is to finish in the top seven in both the men and women team events in Uzbekistan, something that is very much achievable,” says Indian weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma.
Sharma, a former national-level weightlifter, gave a freewheeling assessment of Indian team’s chances in Uzbekistan.
“All top teams like China, Japan and Uzbekistan will be fighting for Olympic spots in Uzbekistan and it will not be easy for India. But I feel that if our weightlifters are able to perform at their best, we should be finish in the top seven and garner our Olympic berths,” he said.
It may be mentioned here that Indian men had finished outside the top six at the 2011 upcoming Asian Weightlifting Championship and in the same event, the Indian women finished fourth. Two lifters – Soniya Chanu (48 kg) and Katala Ravi Kumar (69 kg) had represented Indian in the women’s and men’s categories at the London Olympics – Soniya settled for the seventh spot, while Ravi finished fifteenth.
What is important to understand is that if India manages to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics by finishing among the top seven nations, then the country earns the right to field one lifter in both men’s and women’s weight categories at Rio.
One hopes that the Indian weightlifters will turn over a new leaf after a forgettable run at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championship in Houston.
