CWG 2018: Weightlifter Vikas Thakur celebrates successfully lift in the men’s 94kg Weightlifting category during the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia on Sunday. (Source: PTI)
Vikas Thakur on Sunday had to settle for bronze in the men’s 94kg weightlifting category, a climbdown from his silver at the Glasgow Games in 2014. Vikas, however, could take solace from the fact that he was competing in a higher weight category at the 21st Commonwealth Games in Australia. He had made the jump from the 85kg to the 94kg weight category. In the men’s 94kg weightlifting event, Vikas lifted a total of 351kg — 159kg in snatch and 192kg in clean and jerk — to equal his personal best.
CWG 2018: Weightlifter Vikas Thakur competes in the men’s 94kg Weightlifting category during the Commonwealth Games 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia on Sunday. (Source: PTI)
The gold went to Papua New Guinea’s Steven Kari, who snatched from Canada’s Boady Santavy by lifting 216kg in his last attempt in the clean and jerk. His lift broke the Commonwealth and the Games record in clean and jerk. Kari’s total lift of 370kg was a shade more than Santavy’s. The Canadian however took home the new Games record in snatch with a lift of 168kg.
India has so far won five gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze in weightlifting. The fifth medal came on day 4 of the Games when Punam Yadav clinched the gold in the women’s 69kg category. On Saturday, weightlifters Sathish Kumar Sivalingam and Rahul Venkat Ragala added to medal haul by winning gold medals. The gold rush began with Mirabai Chanu and P Gururaju winning gold and silver respectively on Day 1.