India’s Preetismita Bhoi and Bedabrat Bharali were declared as the best lifters at the 2024 IWF Youth (Boys & Girls) World Weightlifting Championships held at Lima (Peru).
It was the first time the Indian athletes won the award in this tournament.
Bharali became the first Indian male lifter to win a gold medal in the tournament as the 17-year-old with the lift of 136kg in snatch, broke his national record of 133kg at the selection trials in Patiala on May 20.
It was the first time in the tournament’s history that a gold medal was pocketed by an Indian male weightlifter with the previous best performance dating back to 2016 when Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Muthupandi Raja won silver and bronze in the 56kg weight category, respectively.
Preetismita won gold in the women’s 40kg clean & jerk and set a new World Record (WR).
“I am honoured and thrilled to have set a new world record. This is a dream come true and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my coaches, family, and Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF). I hope this inspires others to pursue their dreams with determination and hard work,” said Preetismita.
India’s overall medal tally rose to 18 medals with six gold, four silver and eight bronze medals.
Comments
SHARE