National weightlifting c’ships: Tamil Nadu’s Dhanush bags gold and creates national record

Son of a carpenter in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu’s 16-year-old L. Dhanush bagged a gold medal in the youth men’s 49Kg section of the National (junior, youth & senior) weightlifting championships at the Ponjesly College of Engineering.

Dhanush did an average 81 kg in snatch and went on to create a National record in clean & jerk (110 kg) with a total of 191Kg, pushing his State-mate V. Kishore (188) to the second position.  | Photo Credit: K. Keerthivasan

Son of a carpenter in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu’s 16-year-old L. Dhanush bagged a gold medal in the youth men’s 49Kg section of the National (junior, youth & senior) weightlifting championships at the Ponjesly College of Engineering here on Thursday.

Dhanush did an average 81 kg in snatch and went on to create a National record in clean & jerk (110 kg) with a total of 191Kg, pushing his State-mate V. Kishore (188) to the second position. Dhanush rewrote the record set by Bhaktram Desti (108 kg).

Tamil Nadu’s 16-year-old L. Dhanush in action. | Photo Credit: K. Keerthivasan

Earlier, in the first event of the day, Odisha’s Jyoshna Sabar finished first in the youth women’s 40Kg with a 53 in snatch and a 71 in clean and jerk for a total of 124 and finish one Kg ahead of Maharashtra’s Vinatai Aher (57, 66, 123).

Dhanush came up with a 81 Kg in snatch and was in second place behind Kishore’ who did an 87. Babulal Hembrom of Jharkhand emerged third with a lift of 78 kg, three Kg more than Gautam Kumar of Bihar in snatch. But Gautam fared better in clean and jerk (102) as compared to Babulal, who failed in all three attempts, to finish third.

“Now I have the National record in both snatch--88 Kg I did in Khelo India Youth Games early this year--and clean and jerk now. I am a bit disappointed that I couldn’t do well in the total. I had some elbow issues. But I am happy,” Dhanush told  Sportstar.

Later in the day, RSPB’s Komal Kohar and Asmita Dhone (Maharashtra) created National records in their respective categories. Komal rewrote the NR in junior and women’s 45Kg snatch with a lift of 74Kg while Asmita scripted a NR in youth women’s 45Kg clean & jerk with a lift of 82Kg.

The results

Youth: Men: 49Kg: 1. L. Dhanush (TN) (snatch 81, clean & jerk 110, total 191); 2. V. Kishore (TN) (84, 104, 188); 3. Gautam Kumar (Bih) (75, 102, 177).

Youth: Women: 40 Kg: 1. Jyoshna Sabar (Odi) (53, 71, 124); 2. Vinatai Aher (Mah) (57, 66, 123) 3. Priteeesmita Bhoi (Odi) 50, 63, 113).

Senior women: 45Kg: 1. Komal Kohar (RSPB) 74, 90, 164; 2. P. S. Sufna Jasmin (Ker) 73, 87, 160; Sarika Shingare (RSP 69, 90, 159).  Junior women: 45Kg: 1. P.S. Sufna Jasmin (Ker) 73, 87, 160; 2. B. Rajeswari (AP) 68, 80, 148; 3. Anjali Patel (UP) 66, 77, 143. Youth women: 45Kg: 1. Asmita Dhone (Mah) 65, 82,147; Akansha Vyavhare (Mah) 65 79, 144; 3. B. Bhargavi (AP) 60, 76, 136. NR in clearn & jerk: Asmita Dhone (82Kg).