World Weightlifting Championships 2022: Mirabai Chanu spearheads Indian four-member squad

New Delhi, November 22: Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is set to spearhead four-member India squad in World Weightlifting Championships 2022, which is scheduled to be held from December 5-16 at the Gran Carpa Americas Corferias in Bogota, Colombia.

Former world champion Chanu will return to action for the first time since the Commonwealth Games, where she won her third medal and second gold in August.

Chanu will be joined by 73kg Commonwealth Games champion Achinta Sheuli, silver medallist Bindyarani Devi and bronze medallist Gurdeep Singh to make up the four-member squad.

The Indian squad will, however, miss Jeremy Lalrinnunga, India's maiden Youth Olympic champion, who had injured himself during his gold-winning performance at the Commonwealth Games in July.

Commonwealth Games silver medallist Sanket Sagar who had also sustained an elbow injury during the Birmingham Games and had subsequently undergone surgery will also miss the world event, starting next month.

The Indian contingent, who are currently in St. Louis, USA along with head coach Vijay Sharma for a strength and conditioning camp, are working with Dr Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter-turned-physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach.

Coach Sharma said Chanu has been consulting Horschig since 2020. He has been instrumental in sorting out her imbalance issue which affected her snatch technique. She has had several training stints with Horschig. will leave for Bogota on December 1.

The World Championships are the first qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, it is an additional event and not a compulsory one. Under the 2024 Olympic qualification rule, a lifter has to compulsorily compete in the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup.

Apart from the above, the lifter also has to participate in three of the following events - 2022 World Championships, 2023 Continental Championships, 2023 Grand Prix 1, 2023 Grand Prix II and the 2024 Continental Championships.

India Squad: Mirabai Chanu (49kg), Bindyrani Devi (59kg), Achinta Sheuli (73kg) and Gurdeep Singh (+109kg).

(With PTI inputs)