Sanket Sargar won the silver in men 55kg class, lifting 113kg in snatch, 135kg in clean & jerk for a total of 248kg, while P Gururaja took the bronze in men 61kg category with total lift of 269kg, which featured 118kg in snatch and 151kg in clean and jerk.

Sorokhaibam Bindyarani Devi won the other silver medal in women 55kg event with a total lift of 202kg. Her best attempt in the snatch was 86kg while she managed a lift of 116kg in clean & jerk.

The silver by Sanket Sargar was the first medal for India and it would have been a gold if the brave lifter from Sangli, Maharashtra had not failed to lift 139kg in clean & jerk in his second attempt. Sargar failed because his right arm cracked during the attempt.

Despite the injury and severe pain he attempted to clear 139kg in his third and final attempt, but failed again. Mohamad Aniq Bin Kasdan of Malaysia, who hald lifted six kg less than Sargar in snatch, won the gold medal with New Games Record total of 249kg (107+142).

“I heard a sound and it started paining. The first time it happened, I still had to lift and I did that again after the second and third time post that. Sanket headed to the backroom, where coach Vijay Sharma asked him not to go for the final attempt. The lifter, however, did not want to give up.

“I had to lift because I needed the gold medal at all costs. I have been training for the last four years only for the gold,” said Sanket, who was selling paan four years ago. The coach, although initially not on board with the idea, later egged Sanket on. “He told me I could do it.”

With a green signal from the coach, Sanket proceeded to attempt 139kg again. He failed, shrieked and grimaced in pain, before hobbling out of the arena. Aniq Bin Kasdan followed and pulled off a courageous 142 kg lift to overcome the deficit from the snatch, and pip Sanket by one kg for the gold.
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TOP: Indian weightlifting star Saikhom Mirabai Chanu with her gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 30 July 2022.
RIGHT: Young Indian lifter Sanket Sargar with his silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham on 30 July 2022.