NEW DELHI: The four-person Indian weightlifting squad for the Asian Games, which begin in Hangzhou, China, on September 23, will include Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, and Achinta Sheuli, who won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Sheuli will be competing in the 73kg division, while Chanu will compete in the 49kg division.
Bindyarani Devi, who took home the gold in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in 2021, is also a member of the team. In the women’s 55kg competition, the 24-year-old will take part.
N. Ajith, the current National Games champion, completes the Indian team. Together with Achinta Sheuli, the weightlifter from Tamil Nadu will compete in the 73kg division.
Despite having won the Olympic silver medal, the Commonwealth Games championship, and the global weightlifting title in the past, Chanu will be competing in her first Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Chanu will be going for history at the Asian Games after being forced to miss the previous edition due to injury.
She underwent a five-month rehabilitation program at SQUAT University in St. Louis after having hip surgery in December 2022, and she eventually made a comeback to competitive play in May.
In May in Jinju, South Korea’s Asian Weightlifting Championships, she came in sixth place.
Prior to China’s Huihua Jiang breaking Chanu’s record at the 2020 Asian Championships, Chanu held the world record for the clean & jerk. Jiang will be a formidable opponent for Chanu in Hangzhou.
At the Asian Championships in South Korea in May, Bindyarani Devi and Chanu both took home silver medals in the women’s 55kg division.
N. Ajith and Achinta Sheuli finished ninth and tenth overall in the men’s 73kg event at the Asian Championships in May, respectively, in their first competition of the year.
Although the Indian weightlifting team performed admirably at the Commonwealth Games last year, winning 13 medals, the real test for the lifters will be in Hangzhou because the Asian Games will be held immediately before the Paris Olympics next year and North Korea, a weightlifting powerhouse, will be participating in both events.
Asian Games team from India: Men: N. Ajith (73 kg), Achinta Sheuli (73 kg). Women: Bindyarani Devi (55 kg), Mirabai Chanu (49 kg).
(With IANS inputs)
Sheuli will be competing in the 73kg division, while Chanu will compete in the 49kg division.
Bindyarani Devi, who took home the gold in the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in 2021, is also a member of the team. In the women’s 55kg competition, the 24-year-old will take part.
N. Ajith, the current National Games champion, completes the Indian team. Together with Achinta Sheuli, the weightlifter from Tamil Nadu will compete in the 73kg division.
Despite having won the Olympic silver medal, the Commonwealth Games championship, and the global weightlifting title in the past, Chanu will be competing in her first Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Chanu will be going for history at the Asian Games after being forced to miss the previous edition due to injury.
She underwent a five-month rehabilitation program at SQUAT University in St. Louis after having hip surgery in December 2022, and she eventually made a comeback to competitive play in May.
In May in Jinju, South Korea’s Asian Weightlifting Championships, she came in sixth place.
Prior to China’s Huihua Jiang breaking Chanu’s record at the 2020 Asian Championships, Chanu held the world record for the clean & jerk. Jiang will be a formidable opponent for Chanu in Hangzhou.
At the Asian Championships in South Korea in May, Bindyarani Devi and Chanu both took home silver medals in the women’s 55kg division.
N. Ajith and Achinta Sheuli finished ninth and tenth overall in the men’s 73kg event at the Asian Championships in May, respectively, in their first competition of the year.
Although the Indian weightlifting team performed admirably at the Commonwealth Games last year, winning 13 medals, the real test for the lifters will be in Hangzhou because the Asian Games will be held immediately before the Paris Olympics next year and North Korea, a weightlifting powerhouse, will be participating in both events.
Asian Games team from India: Men: N. Ajith (73 kg), Achinta Sheuli (73 kg). Women: Bindyarani Devi (55 kg), Mirabai Chanu (49 kg).
(With IANS inputs)
