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The Indian weightlifting team for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014 seems to be in a good position to win a few medals. Indian lifters had displayed a commendable show at the Delhi edition in 2010 with 2 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze to finish overall third in the sport.
Though only two medal winners from the last team – Ravi Kumar Katulu and Sukhen Dey – are present in the current squad, there are a few members who had displayed good potential at Delhi. Among them, the name to be noticed first is that of Chandrakant Dadu Mali, who had missed a bronze in the 2010 Commonwealth Games purely because of his body weight being 0.41kg higher than another lifter who was tied with him in overall kgs lifted.
Rustam Sarang and Swati Singh are two other experienced hands who had finished 4th at Delhi games.
The Indian weightlifting team was haunted by several doping controversies in the period between 2010 and 2014. Sukhen Dey has come back after serving a two year ban. There were issues of Indian weightlifters missing doping tests too. But now the team is back, ready to give a tough challenge.
India’s rich medal haul at the 2013 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in South Africa came as a huge relief. The team is also strengthened with the addition of India’s future stars like Punam Yadav, Mirabai Chanu Saikhom, Matsa Santoshi and Vikas Thakur who had won medals at Junior and Youth competitions at international levels.
India will also be featuring four lifters in the Para Power-lifting event: Sachin Choudhary (who has currently flown back to India to be with his ailing father), Farman Basha, Rajinder Rahelu and Sakina Khatun.
Schedule of competition
The following is the schedule of competition of Indian weightlifters:
24th July
56kg Men’s – Sukhen Dey, Ganesh Mali
48kg Women’s – Sanjita Chanu, Mirabai Chanu Saikhom
25th July
62kg Men’s – Rustam Sarang
53kg Women’s – Matsa Santoshi, Swati Singh
26th July
63kg Women’s – Meena Kumari, Punam Yadav
69kg Men’s – Omkar Otari
27th July
77kg Men’s – Sathish Kumar Sivalingam, Ravi Kumar Katulu
28th July
69kg Women’s – Vandna Gupta
85kg Men’s – Vikas Thakur
29th Julu
94kg Men’s – Chandrakant Mali
Profile of Indian weightlifters
The profiles of Indian team members for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games are as follows:
1. Ravi Kumar Katulu – 77kg Men’s
Gold in 69kg at Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.
2. Sukhen Dey – 56kg Men’s
Three gold medals at Commonwealth Championships 2013; silver at Delhi 2010.
3. Mirabai Chanu Saikhom – 48kg Women’s
Three gold Medals at Commonwealth Championships 2013; 3 silver at Asian Junior Championships, 2014; 3 bronze at Junior World Weightlifting Championships, 2013.
4. Sanjita Chanu – 48kg Women’s
Gold at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship 2012; 2 bronze at Asian Championships, 2011
5. Ganesh Mali – 56kg Men’s
Silver in Senior National Weightlifting Championship, 2014.
6. Rustam Sarang – 62kg Men’s
Two gold and 1 silver at Commonwealth Championships, 2011; 4th at Delhi 2010.
7. Matsa Santoshi – 53kg Women’s
Three bronze at Asian Championships, 2011; 1 gold and 2 silver at Asian Youths 2010; 5th at Youth Olympics 2010.
8. Omkar Otari – 69kg Men’s
Two golds at National Weightlifting Championships, 2014; 5th at Delhi, 2010.
9. Swati Singh – 53kg Women’s
4th at Delhi 2010; gold at Senior National Weightlifting Championships 2013.
10. Sathish Kumar Sivalingam – 77kg Men’s
Three golds at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2013.
11. Meena Kumari – 63kg Women’s
Three golds at Senior National Weight-lifting Championships.
12. Punam Yadav – 63kg Women’s
Three bronze at Asian Junior Weightlifting Championships, 2013.
13. Vikas Thakur – 85kg Men’s
Two silver at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, 2013; 1 silver and 2 bronze at Asian Junior Weightlifting Championship, 2011.
14. Vandna Gupta – 69kg Women’s
Three bronze in 63kg at Commonwealth Championships, 2013.
15. Chandrakant Dadu Mali – 94kg Men’s
Two silver and 1 bronze at Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, 2013; 4th in Delhi 2010, lost bronze on body weight tie-break.
