Sathish Kumar Sivalingam won gold in 77kg weightlifting. (Source: Reuters)
Sathish Kumar Sivalingam won a gold medal in Men’s 77kg weightlifting category to take India’s medal tally to five and the all-important number of gold medals to three. For a third morning in three days, India got up to the sound of the national anthem playing and the national anthem being raised in Gold Coast, and yet again, it was a weightlifter bringing India glory. Battling fitness concerns and lack of physios, he came out on top and extended India’s tally. He had also won gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the same weight category.
Sathish stood second after the Snatch lifts as Jack Oliver of England, who eventually bagged the silver medal, kept things interesting and toe-to-toe. Sivalingam had created a Commonwealth Games record of 149kg in Snatch in Glasgow but this time he remained under that category. He started off by successfully lifting 136kg and followed it up with 140kg and 144kg. Oliver stayed close on his heels with lifts of 141kg and 145kg to start with but his third attempt of 148kg didn’t materialise. That gave the Englishman a one kg advantage going into the Clean and Jerk event.
Sivalingam cancelled out that gap by lifting 169kg in his first attempt. Oliver’s 167kg attempt worked out but he couldn’t reduce the deficit as his 171kg lifts, in second and third attempt, didn’t materialise. By lifting 173kg in the second attempt, Sivalingam, however had assured himself of a gold medal. In the end, Sivalingam chose not to push himself for a third lift and maintained a five kg gap between himself and Oliver. Sivalingam’s final total weight lifted stood at 317kg and Oliver’s at 312kg.
Australia’s Francois Etoundi bagged the bronze medal by lifting a combined weight of 305kg. He lifted best of 136kg in Snatch and 169kg in Clean and Jerk, but in so doing, he hurt his shoulder.