CWG: Vikas adds bronze to weightlifting haul

Vikas Thakur added a shade of bronze to Indian weightlifters’ golden run at the Commonwealth Games, claiming the third position in the 94kg category.

Vikas Thakur lifted a total of 351kg for his bronze medal at Gold Coast.

India gained a bronze medal through Vikas Thakur in the men’s 94kg even as the event ended in quite a dramatic fashion. The Ludhiana lifter was placed second with 159kg in snatch but his two failures in the second and third attempts of clean and jerk which left him with only a card of 192kg and a total of 351kg.

Read: Weightlifting gold rush continues, Punam claims fifth for India

Canadian Boady Santavy seemed to have the event sewed up in favour with a Games record 169kg in snatch and a 201kg jerk.

But the wily Papua New Guinean, Steven Kari, the defending champion, was not finished. He was way behind with only a 154kg snatch but into the second part came good and jerked an unbelievable 216kg to pip out the Canadian by a mere one kilogramme.

The Indian representative in the women’s 75kg class, Seema, failed in rounding off the day with another medal, finishing sixth with a total of 189kg (84 snatch, 105 clean and jerk).

The results:

Men: 94kg: 1. Steven Kari (PNG), 370kg, 2. Boady Santavy (Can), 369kg, 3. Vikas Thakur (Ind), 159+192 = 351kg.