India’s young weightlifters aim to qualify for the 2026 Commonwealth Games after their Asian triumph

INN/New Delhi, @Infodeaofficial

Following their outstanding performance at the Asian youth and junior weightlifting championships 2024 in Doha from December 19–25, India’s medal-winning athletes are hoping to achieve greater heights in the coming year. India took home 33 medals overall in the junior and juvenile divisions. The lifters’ next goal is to qualify for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2026. Vijay Sharma, the national weightlifting coach and mentor of Olympian Mirabai Chanu, thinks the Doha result was encouraging and points to “a bright future for India.”

There were 40 weightlifting categories in Qatar, 20 for each of the youth and junior divisions. In each of the 40 categories, medals were given for the snatch, clean and jerk, and overall parts. Indian lifters between the ages of 13 and 17 took home 21 medals, including seven golds. Twelve medals were won by the youngsters (15–20 years old). One of the most notable performers in Doha was 16-year-old Jyoshna Sabar from Uttar Pradesh. With a combined lift of 135 kg, she set an Asian record in the women’s youth 40kg class. Sharma’s belief that “India’s women had greater prospects of winning international medals” was supported by this.

With 22 of the 24 men and women who represented India in Doha being Khelo India Athletes (KIA), the organization’s goal of identifying local talent and developing it into future international champions received a significant boost. All three of the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centres of Excellence (NCoEs)—NIS Patiala, Imphal, and Aurangabad—were used for training.

Having so many young athletes would only benefit things in the long term, according to Alakesh Baruah, NIS Patiala’s High Performance Manager for weightlifting. These young athletes have a lot of potential for the junior and senior world championships. A “long process (of training) and support from SAI and the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF)” was the reason for the medals in Doha, according to Baruah.

We conducted trials at NIS Patiala in June for a number of international tournaments, including the Asian championships, the junior worlds, and the Asian youth and junior. Under the direction of coach Vijay Sharma, who won the Dronacharya Award, this is how we chose the team,” Baruah continued.

“Come 2025, our trials start for Commonwealth Games 2026 qualification,” said Maibam Martina Devi, who won silver in the women’s Junior +87kg division at the 2024 Asian meet, in an interview with SAI Media. The qualifying event will be the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad. In Uttarakhand, I will also compete in the National Games. I must therefore continue to do well.

In the 81kg men’s youth division, Sairaj Pardeshi, a camper at NIS Patiala, set a new national record in the total lift with a lift of 310 kg (139 kilograms snatch + 171 kg clean and jerk). Sairaj, who will graduate from the NIS Patiala in January 2025 after a year there, attributed his nascent career to the influence of training at SAI centers.

When I was twelve years old in 2018, I began lifting weights in Maharashtra. After training there through the COVID-19 pandemic, I was inducted at Aurangabad in 2021. I started working at NIS Patiala earlier this year. In terms of discipline, nutrition, coaches, and many other areas, the SAI centers have greatly aided my career,” he told SAI Media.

In addition to other advantages, the scholarship funds we receive from the Khelo India program also enable me to purchase protein supplements. I lost a medal in the 2024 Youth World Championships by a 1 kg gap, but I’m glad to have won the Asian championship on my first try,” Sairaj Pardeshi continued.