Weightlifting has featured in the Commonwealth Games ever since the 1950 edition of the quadrennial event in Auckland, New Zealand.
The sport is segmented into eight bodyweight categories in both the men’s and women’s competitions.
Rules
Each competitor has to perform two lifts – the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch involves lifting the weights over the head in a single movement with a wide grip. The clean and jerk entails getting the weights to shoulder level (clean) followed by lifting them over the head (jerk). In both disciplines, the athlete has to stand still and under control after having lifted the weights above the head. Only after the judges sound a buzzer, signaling the lift is legitimate, can the weights be put down.
Scoring system
Each athlete has three attempts in each discipline to register his/her best lift. The snatch is always performed first, with the athlete choosing the lowest weight attempting first. The best lifts in both disciplines – one from the snatch and one from the clean and jerk - are combined to determine the winner. In case two competitors are tied at the same combined weight, the athlete with the lower bodyweight is declared the winner. If both the combined weight lifted and bodyweight are identical, then the athlete who lifted the combined weight in the least number of attempts reigns supreme.
Failure to register a lift
If an athlete fails to register a legal lift in all three attempts, he/she is disqualified from the competition because it is mandatory to register at least one legal lift in both the snatch and clean and jerk. In case of an unsuccessful attempt, the athlete has to lift the same weight or increase the weight in the next attempt, and cannot reduce it.
Categories
| Men | Women |
| 55kg | 49kg |
| 61kg | 55kg |
| 67kg | 59kg |
| 73kg | 64kg |
| 81kg | 71kg |
| 96kg | 76kg |
| 109kg | 87kg |
| 109+kg | 87+kg |
Schedule, venue and timings
The weightlifting events will begin on July 30 and end on August 4 and will be held at the NEC Hall 1.
SCHEDULE
JULY 30 (1:30 PM-6:15 PM IST)
JULY 30 (8:00 PM IST-10:15 PM IST)
JULY 31 (12:30 AM-2:45 AM IST)
JULY 31 (2:00 PM-4:30 PM IST)
JULY 31 (6:30 PM-9:00 PM IST)
JULY 31 (11:00 PM-1:30 AM IST)
AUGUST 1 (2:00 PM-4:30 PM IST)
AUGUST 1 (6:30 PM-9:00 PM IST)
AUGUST 1 (11:00 PM-1:30 AM IST)
AUGUST 2 (2:00 PM-4:30 PM IST)
AUGUST 2 (6:30 PM-9:00 PM IST)
AUGUST 2 (11:00 PM-1:30 AM IST)
AUGUST 3 (2:00 PM-4:30 PM IST)
AUGUST 3 (6:30 PM-9:00 PM IST)
AUGUST 3 (11:00 PM-1:30 AM IST)
Indians in action
India will be represented by a 15-member weightlifting squad in Birmingham, which will include Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, who also won the gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. India topped the weightlifting medals tally in 2018 with gold, two silver and two bronze medals.
Here is the list of the Indian weighlifters who will be in action in Birmingham 2022.
| Men | Women |
| Sanket Sargar (55kg) | Mirabai Chanu (49kg) |
| Gururaja (61kg) | Bindyarani Devi (55kg) |
| Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg) | Popy Hazarika (59kg) |
| Achinta Sheuli (73kg) | Harjinder Kaur (71kg) |
| Ajay Singh (81kg) | Punam Yadav (76kg) |
| Vikas Thakur (96kg) | Usha B.N. (87kg) |
| Lovepreet Singh (109kg) | Purnima Pandey (87+kg) |
| Gurdeep Singh (109+kg) |
Weighlifting has been the second-biggest contributor (after shooting) to India’s medal haul at the Commonwealth Games over the years with 43 gold, 48 silver and 34 bronze medals and an overall tally of 125.
Only Australia, which was 59 gold, 52 silver and 48 bronze for an overall medal tally of 159, has won more Weightlifting medals than India at the Commonwealth Games.
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