Achinta Sheuli: All you need to know about Commonwealth Games 2022 gold-winning weightlifter

Birmingham, Aug 1: With a total lift of 313 kgs, Achinta Sheuli clinched a gold medal in the 73 kg category to hand India its third yellow metal in the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

His blistering passion, calmness, desire to be the best and applications of visualisation, self-talk and deep breathing techniques have helped him clinch his maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal in weightlifting.

Who is Achinta Sheuli?

The 20-year-old weightlifter from Dhulagarh in Howrah went on creating CWG record enroute to a gold in his debut in the competition.

Achinta had his share of hardships in his career and the son of a labourer has worked his way up through internal motivation. The hard earned gold in Birmingham is a testimony to his grit and skills he has honed over the years.

When did he pick up weightlifting?

Achinta entered the world of weightlifting at the age of 10 through a chance tryst with catching a kaata ghudi (thread-broken kite). He soon joined his brother Alok at the local gym and used to go all 7 days of the week to train. Initially, it was just baithak (a modified squat) and don (a modified pushup). Lifting came later.

Lost his father at an early age

The youngster's passion and discipline were fuelled by the conditions back home. His dad used to work as a labourer and he was the only bread winner in the famil. However, post their dad's death in 2013, his elder brother Alok gave up weightlifting while their mother took up tailoring and other jobs to keep the house in order. Achinta stayed put with his passion and worked in silence.

Burning desire, no-nonsense attitude kept him going

Before leaving for Birmingham, Achinta had told SAI at NNIS Patiala, "Everyone is focused on phone nowadays. You need to have a target in life. Many like to go to the gym to impress girls. I wanted to fight as my family background was not too good. I knew I had to face a lot of challenges and therefore, I tried improving step by step."

The statement truly showcases the core values he's harnessed over the years and this passion and no-nonsense attitude has just helped him put a lasting impression in Indian weightlifting.

Major Performances:

Achinta participated in his first weightlifting nationals in 2013 in Guwahati and came fourth. The 2018 Khelo India Youth Games gold medallist won the coveted yellow metal on the big stage at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, Apia, Samoa, in July 2019 in both the junior and senior categories.

Riding on the winning momentum Achinta broke six national weightlifting records, including three in the senior group, on his way to a silver medal in the men's 73kg category of the Junior World Championships in Tashkent last year.

Also in Tashkent, he became the 73kg champion at the Commonwealth Championships last year. Achinta is a part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and has made the opportunity count.