Gurdeep Singh finishes 21st in World Championships

Competing in Group C, the 27-year-old lifted 350kg (145kg+205kg), a whopping 40kg less than his bronze medal-winning performance at the CWG earlier this year in August.

FILE PHOTO: Gurdeep Singh in action during the National Weighlifting Championships in Kolkata on February 07, 2020. | Photo Credit: Rajeev Bhatt

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist weightlifter Gurdeep Singh finished a disappointing 21st in the men’s +109kg event at the World Championships here.

Competing in Group C, the 27-year-old lifted 350kg (145kg+205kg), a whopping 40kg less than his bronze medal-winning performance at the CWG earlier this year in August.

Gurdeep began his snatch by swiftly lifting 145kg. However, he did not attempt any more lifts in the section.

In the clean and jerk, the Punjab lifter started with 205kg lift but fluffed up his second and third attempts of 215kg and 216kg respectively.

The Indian contingent returns with two medals form the event - both won by star lifter Mirabai Chanu.

The former world champion won two silver medals -- one in the clean and jerk section and the other for her overall effort in the women’s 49kg event, last week.

Medals are awarded separately for snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift in continental and World Championships. But, just one medal for total lift is awarded in the Olympics.

Chanambam Rishikanta Singh (61kg) and Commonwealth Games silver medallist S Bindyarani Devi (59kg) finished 22nd and 25th in their respective events.

Commonwealth Games champion weightlifter Achinta Sheuli was forced to withdraw from the event after he pulled his hamstring.

The 2022 World Championship is the first qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics, where weightlifting events will be cut from 14 at Tokyo Games to 10.

However, it is an additional event and not a compulsory one and hence the lifters have been cautious not to stretch themselves.

Under the 2024 Olympic qualification rule, a lifter has to compulsorily compete in the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup.

Apart from the above, the lifter also has to participate in three of the following events -- the 2022 World Championships, the 2023 Continental Championships, the 2023 Grand Prix 1, the 2023 Grand Prix II and the 2024 Continental Championships.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) will publish the Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) of each weight category at the end of the qualification period.

A weightlifter’s best three performances at the qualifying events will be taken into account for final assessment.