Youth Olympics 2018: Yesica Yadira Hernandez of Mexico wins gold as India's Sneha finishes fifth in weightlifting

Weightlifting for Women’s 48kg took place at the Youth Olympics 2018 in Buenos Aires on Monday.

The medal contenders for the event were World number one and Pan-American Youth Gold medallist, Yesica Yadira from Mexico, World number three and Pan-American Junior Bronze medallist Santoya Ortiz from Colombia and World number four and European Youth Gold medallist Mihaela-Valentina of Romania.

The Weightlifting event consists of two disciplines -- the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk, and the combined total decides the medal positions. A total of seven competitors took part in the 48kg division.

Silver medallist Yineth Milena Santoya Ortiz from Colombia (Image Courtesy: IOC)

Mexico’s Yesica Yadira had a failed first attempt at 72 which slightly put off her chances of matching the Colombian. She finished with 74 from her third attempt to be placed second in the leaderboard. In the Snatch discipline, it was Santoya Ortiz from Colombia, who registered her presence with three clean lifts in the snatch. She opened with 72 in her first attempt, followed by 74 and concluded with 76 from her final attempt to lead the field.

Romania’s Mihaela-Valentina and Dominica’s Dahiana Ortiz both failed their third attempt lifts of 72 to end up 4kgs behind the leader at 70 in the third spot.

World number 13 and Asian Youth Bronze medallist Sneha Soren had a comfortable first attempt of 64 which surpassed her 63 lift in the Asian Youth Games. She lifted 67 in her third attempt after a failure in the second to lie in fifth place.

World number six and European Youth Silver medallist Giulia Imperio of Italy crashed out of the competition after failing all her three attempts of 67, which she had successfully lifted in the European Championships. She left the arena crying with disappointment after many years of hard work went in vain.

In the Clean and Jerk discipline, India’s Sneha hoisted 84 on her second attempt after failing her first attempt. She also failed to clear 87 in her last attempt, finishing in fifth place, with a total of 151 -- a marked improvement of six kgs from her Asian Youth Championships performance.

Dominica’s Dahiana Ortiz's challenge for the Bronze ended in disappointment after she failed her second attempt at 89 and her third at 90, leaving her fourth overall with a score of 156, which is a 4kg improvement from her Pan-American Silver medal performance.

Bronze medalist Mihaela Valentina Cambei from Romania (Image Courtesy: IOC)

Mihaela-Valentina’s second attempt of 88 would remain her best as she had no realistic chance at the Silver and ended up with a total of 158 to win Bronze. This effort produced a 3kg improvement on her Gold medal win in the European Championships.

Santoya Ortiz’s weakest discipline was the clean and jerk as her best effort of 86 came up in her second attempt as she failed in her third attempt of 91. She claimed the Silver with a total of 162, a marginal two kg improvement on her Pan-American Junior Game’s Bronze medal effort.

Yesica Yadira stamped her authority as the top contender after claiming the Gold medal with her first attempt of 92. She went on to clean 97 in her third attempt for a total of 171 -- a healthy 9kg difference from Ortiz of Colombia. She also improved her own Pan-American Gold medal performance this year by 6kgs.

Sneha Soren from India (Image Courtesy: IOC)

Gold Medal – Yesica Yadira Hernandez Vieyra (MEX) Snatch 74 + Clean & Jerk 97 = Total 171.

Silver Medal – Yineth Milena Santoya Ortiz (COL) 76 + Clean & Jerk 86 = Total 162.

Bronze Medal – Mihaela-Valentina Cambei (ROM) 70 + Clean & Jerk 88 = Total 158.

Fifth Place – Sneha Soren (IND) 67 + Clean & Jerk 84 = Total 151.