Sanjita Chanu Khumukcham, the 24-year-old weightlifter from Manipur, became the second Indian gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia, after winning the women’s 53 kg final on Friday.
Sanjita had won the gold in Glasgow 2014 but that was in the 48 kg category. She has since upgraded to the 53 kg category but the result was no different.
Sanjita broke the Commonwealth Games record in the Snatch category by cleanly lifting 84 kg, which was 3 kg more than what her nearest rival managed. She thereby broke the record set by her compatriot Swarti Singh four years ago in Glasgow.
Heading into the Clean and Jerk section, Sanjita was one of the favourites to bag the gold and did not disappoint as she successfully lifted 104 kg and 108 kg in her first two attempts to put her in pole position.
Papua New Guinea’s Toa Dika Toua lifted 102 kg in her first attempt and then failed a 109 kg lift in her second. Sanjita then went for an ambitious 112 kg lift in her final attempt, which would have broken the Games record set by Dika Toua in Glasgow.
However, the Indian could not lift it, giving Dika Toua an outside chance of snatching the gold if she managed to lift 113 kg in her final attempt. She tried but it wasn’t to be for the Papua New Guinea lifter as Sanjita won the gold – the second by an Indian at Gold Coast.
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