CWG 2022: Weightlifter Harjinder Kaur bags bronze to take India’s medal tally to nine in Birmingham

Birmingham, Aug 2: The medal rush in weightlifting for India continued as Harjinder Kaur picked up the bronze medal in the women’s 71kg final at the ongoing Birmingham Games on Monday (Aug 1).

The 25-year-old Harjinder’s bronze medal, saw India’s medal tally reach nine, with seven coming from weightlifting.

Starting off in the women’s 71kg final, Harjinder Kaur, who set a starting weight of 90kgs, got off to a shaky start as she failed to lift in her first snatch attempt.

But the Indian lifter redeemed herself in the second snatch attempt as she successfully lifted 90kgs. On her third attempt, Harjinder successfully lifted 93kgs. After the snatch rounds, India’s Harjinder Kaur was placed fourth after a lift of 93kgs on the third attempt in the women’s 71kg final.

On her first attempt in the clean & jerk category, Harjinder Kaur successfully lift 113kgs. The lift propelled her to the top of the table with a total of 206kgs. Putting herself in medal contention after the first attempt of the clean & jerk round, Harjinder was once again successful as she lift 116kgs. On her final lift Harjinder pulled off a successful lift off 119kgs. At the end of the snatch round and clean & jerk round, Harjinder’s total was 212kgs.

But with Nigeria’s Joy Ogbonne Eze yet to compete, Harjinder’s medal chances weren’t in her hands. But with the Nigerian lifter failing to lift 125kgs in all three attempts of the clean & jerk round, the Indian was seen celebrating with a bronze secured.

With England’s Sarah Davies successfully lifting 127 in the clean & jerk round and taking the gold, Harjinder finished third and clinched bronze with a total of 212 kgs. Canada’s Alexis Ashworth clinched silver with a total weight of 214kgs.

Earlier in the day, it was heartbreak for another weightlifter, who was primed as a medal contender. A low snatch total and a fluffed clean and jerk lift cost Indian lifter Ajay Singh (81kg) as he missed out on the bronze medal by a whisker.

The 25-year-old, making his Commonwealth Games debut, managed a total effort 319 kgs (143kg+176kg) to finish fourth in the men’s 81kg event.

Meanwhile, England’s Chris Murray 325kg (144kg+181kg) grabbed the gold with a Games record in the total lift and the silver went to Australian lifter Kyle Bruce (143kg+180kg) with a total of 323kg. Canada’s Nicholas Vachon 320kg (140kg+180kg) took the bronze as the Indian lifter missed it just by one kg.