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With all eyes on the qualifying events in the leadup to the Tokyo Olympics 2020, there have been quite a few permutations and combinations that have been going around with respect to the four Indian weightlifters who might book a ticket to Japan.
The world ranking as of 30th April 2020 will decide who makes the cut for this edition of the Olympics. Notably, a total of 14 athletes can book their spot in the event from each category, with the top eight weightlifters from the list set to qualify on the merit of their ranking.
While the general rule is that only one weightlifter can qualify per category from a country, usually a total of 8 lifters, 4 men and 4 women across different categories can qualify but that number can be limited due to anti-doping violations, as is the case with India this year.
Given that the Indian weightlifters have been hit by over 10 violations over the past year or so, the contingent will be restricted to just two men and two women lifters who can qualify for the mega event.
Notably, the qualification period is divided into three periods (1 November 2018 – 30 April 2019; 1 May 2019 – 31 October 2019; 1 November 2019 – 30 April 2020) and the best results in each of three periods will be considered along with the overall best result.
To qualify for the Olympics, For qualification, an athlete must participate in at least one event in each of the three periods and should participate in at least six events overall with at least one gold and silver level event.
On that note, here's a look at three weightlifters who look the frontrunners to land a spot at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Jeremy Lalrinnunga
17-year-old Jeremy stands a chance to qualify for the Olympics from the 67 kg category. Jeremy is currently ranked 19th in the Olympic rankings with 3,119.8558 points and has grown in confidence ever since he picked up a historic gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in the Boys' 62 kg category.
The teenager started the year by clinching a silver in the EGAT cup, lifting a total of 287kg, 131kg in Snatch and 157kg in Clean and Jerk. In December 2019, he won a silver at the 6th International Cup, by lifting a total of 306kg with 140kg in Snatch and 166kg in Clean and Jerk and in the process broke 27 records.
Most recently, Lalrinnunga broke the national record in the National Weightlifting Championships as he lifted 299kg (132kg in Snatch + 167 in Clean and Jerk) in the Men's 67kg category.
Mirabai Chanu
As far as the Tokyo Olympics qualification goes, the 2017 World Championship gold medallist is ranked 4th in the 49 kg category, accumulating 3,869.8038 points as per the list released by the International Weightlifting Federation.
In 2018, Mirabai Chanu won gold at the Commonwealth Games as she lifted a total of 196 kg, 86 kg in Snatch and 110 kg in Clean and Jerk to win the first gold medal for the country. The Manipuri weightlifter performed extremely well in 2019 and missed a bronze in the 2019 Asian Weightlifting Championships despite lifting a total weight of 199 kg. Her personal best was at the 2019 World Weightlifting Championship where she finished 4th when she lifted a total of 201 kg (87 kg Snatch and 114 kg Clean & Jerk) and created a new national record in the 49 kg category.
While Mirabai's current ranking will ensure her qualification to the Olympics, it remains to see if she does make the cut, which will give India a good chance at adding a medal to the Tokyo Olympics 2020 medal tally.
Rakhi Halder
Ranked 19th in the 64 kg category in the Tokyo 2020 qualification list released by the International Weightlifting Federation, Rakhi still holds a chance to qualify if she performs well in the upcoming events.
She has accumulated a total of 2,764.4062 points and won a bronze medal at the 2019 Qatar National Championship, with her personal best lift of 218 kg. In June 2019, she clinched a gold at the Commonwealth Games by lifting a total of 214 kg (94 kg +120 kg).
In the recently concluded National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata, Rakhi lifted 93kg in Snatch and 117kg in Clean and Jerk that saw her win the gold medal from the event.
