Weightlifting caught the imagination of the Indian public only at the dawn of the millennium.
Till Karnam Malleswari lifted bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and became the first Indian woman to win a medal at the world's ultimate multi-sport event, weightlifting didn’t have much of a following in the country.
It still may not be among the most popular sports, but the focus is more on Malleswari’s sisters, and brothers, at least during times like these, when the country gears up for major games. And the lifters didn’t disappoint at the recent Commonwealth Games.
It, in fact, was quite a gold rush by them at Gold Coast. They won nine medals, including five gold, to emerge as the top nation in weightlifting down under in April.
High expectations
Coming as it did after Mirabai Chanu’s triumph at the World championship in Turkmenistan last November, things were looking particularly rosy for Indian weightlifting. The expectations therefore were high about India claiming that elusive weightlifting gold at the Asian Games.
Of the country’s 14 medals, five are silver and the rest bronze. Most of them were won by women, including Malleswari, Kunjarani Devi and Bharti Singh.
Chanu was looking to better those ladies’ efforts as she seemed the favourite to claim the gold in the women’s 48 kg at Jakarta. But, last week the 24-year-old Manipuri had to pull out of the Indian squad because of a lower back injury.
National coach Vijay Sharma felt she should rather focus on the Olympic qualifiers rather than risking her injury.
A blow
Chanu’s absence is indeed a blow. Much bigger than those dealt by the ban of other Commonwealth gold-medallists, Sanjita Chanu (53 kg), who was tested positive for doping, and the suspension of Punam Yadav (69 kg) for indiscipline.
All that leaves Rakhi Halder as the lone woman in the Indian team, which has four men. She offers hope in the women’s 63 kg. But she needs to come up with a kind of performance that saw her break the 19-year-old National record at the beginning of the year.
Sathish Kumar Sivalingam will lead the Indian men’s challenge. He had won the men’s 77 kg event at Gold Coast.
That was, in fact, his second straight gold at the Commonwealth Games. At Jakarta, however, he will be up against some quality contestants from countries like South Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan. You still wouldn’t bet against him reaching the podium, though.
Having said that, he would have to punch above his weight if he hopes to lift a medal in Indonesia (his personal best of 328 kg, which he had recorded at the World championship in the United States last year as he finished 14th, might not be enough for a medal).
Vikas Thakur (94 kg) and Ajay Singh Shekhawat (77 kg) complete the Indian squad.