The Indian senior weightlifting contingent finished their campaign at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2023 with a tally of 18 medals on Sunday. India earned eight gold medals, eight silvers and two bronze at the Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida. On the event’s final day, Commonwealth Games 2022 bronze medallist Lovepreet Singh (men’s 109kg) claimed a silver medal while Purnima Pandey won a bronze medal in the women’s +87kg category.
Lovepreet Singh lifted a combined weight of 341kg (154kg snatch + 187kg clean and jerk) to finish second in the 109kg senior category. Fiji’s Taniela Rainibogi clinched the gold medal with a total lift of 363kg (163kg snatch + 200kg clean and jerk). The bronze medal went to Britain’s Andrew Griffiths, who lifted a total weight of 340kg (155kg snatch + 185 clean and jerk). Later in the day, Purnima Pandey won the bronze medal in the women’s +87kg category with a total lift of 227kg (102kg snatch + 125kg clean and jerk). The gold medal went to Samoa’s Iuniarra Sipaia, who hauled a total weight of 262kg (110kg snatch + 152kg clean and jerk). Another Samoan weightlifter, Lesila Fiapule, bagged the silver medal with a total lift of 250kg (110kg snatch + 140 clean and jerk). After earning two medals on the last day, India bettered their tally from the last edition. India had won 16 awards, four gold, seven silver and five bronze, at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2021 held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Apart from the senior category, the Indian weightlifters also competed in junior and youth events. India’s Asian Games 2023-bound weightlifters Mirabai Chanu, Achinta Sheuli and Bindyarani Devi didn’t compete in the event.
