By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 31 Jan: Manipur’s star weightlifter S Bindyarani Devi performed brilliantly at the ongoing National Games here, today, winning the gold medal in the women’s 55kg category and creating history by setting a new national record in the snatch category.
Commonwealth Games silver medallist Bindyarani Devi made a strong comeback despite an initial failure at 83 kg. She set a new national record by lifting 88 kg in the snatch. Following this, she made a successful start with 107 kg in the clean and jerk. Though her second attempt at 112 kg failed, she proved her superiority by lifting 113 kg. Her total performance of 201 kg placed her at the top spot, just 1kg short of her own national record of 202 kg. This achievement makes her the holder of all three national records (snatch, clean and jerk, and total weight).
After her win, Bindyarani Devi said that she was well prepared and is happy with her performance. Creating a record is always a matter of pride. She added that her target was to lift 115 kg, but her second attempt at 112 kg failed, so she decided to lift 113 kg to be safe.
In the same competition, Sharabani Das of West Bengal lifted 78 kg and 81 kg in the snatch and 102 kg and 106 kg in the clean and jerk to win the silver medal.
L Neelam Devi, who secured another medal for Manipur, also performed brilliantly, winning the bronze medal. Neelam lifted 81 kg in the snatch after initial failures and then attempted 98 kg and 101 kg in the clean and jerk, finally succeeding with 104 kg.
Bindyarani Devi’s historic win and Manipur’s achievement of two medals have once again established the state at the forefront of weightlifting in India.
