Asian Weightlifting C'ships: Ajith Narayana adds two medals to India’s tally

India’s Ajith Narayana delivered a strong performance on Day 3 of the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, securing two bronze medals in the men’s 71kg category on Thursday.

With the result, Ajith became the first Indian male weightlifter in 15 years to win multiple medals in the same edition of the championships. The last Indian male lifter to achieve this feat was Katulu Ravi Kumar in 2011.

Ajith had a difficult start to the competition in the snatch event. He successfully lifted 140kg in his opening attempt but failed to clear 144kg in his next two attempts, finishing fifth in the snatch standings with 140kg.

The Indian lifter, however, bounced back strongly in the clean and jerk category.

Ajith successfully lifted 163kg, 169kg, and 174kg across all three attempts to secure a bronze medal in clean and jerk. China’s Jin Chen finished ahead after successfully lifting 180kg in his final attempt, while North Korea’s Won Ju Ri topped the category with 197kg.

Ajith finished the competition with a total lift of 314kg (140kg + 174kg), earning another bronze medal in the overall standings.

People's Republic of Korea's Won Ju Ri secured overall gold with a total lift of 351kg (154kg + 197kg), breaking the previous world record of 347kg. China’s Jin Chen won a silver with a total lift of 335kg (155kg + 180kg).

Ajith’s medal takes the Indian medal tally to six after Gyaneshwari Yadav's two medals in the women’s 53kg category, and Komal Kohar's two bronze in the women’s 48kg category.

More Indian lifters will be in action later in the day, with Nirupama Devi Seram competing in the women’s 63kg category and Bedabrat Bharali in the men’s 79kg event.