Sanjita Chanu Wins India’s Second Gold at The Commonwealth Games

Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu secured India’s second gold medal on the second day of the Commonwealth Games after lifting a combined 192 kg (84 kg in snatch and 108 kg in clean and jerk) in the 53kg category.

Sanjita, who successfully attempted an 81 kg lift in her first attempt in snatch, created a new Commonwealth Games record by lifting 84 kg in her third attempt. In clean and jerk, while her third attempt of 112 kg was unsuccessful, her second attempt of 108 kg was sufficient for her to seal the gold.

With this win, she became only the second Indian after Sanamacha Chanu to win gold in the 53kg category at the Games. She also became the second Indian woman weightlifter after Kunjarani Devi to win gold in two different editions of the Commonwealth Games.

Much like Mirabai Chanu in the Gold Coast, Sanjita was the star of the opening day of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Competing in the women’s 48kg category then, she was only 20 -years old when she won India’s first gold of the Games.

However, where she might have expected that gold to be the first of many victories, subsequent success would be hard to come by. Sanjita, who had already won two Commonwealth Championships prior to the gold in Glasgow, was overlooked for the Arjuna Award. Her own form slipped too as she failed to qualify for the Olympics.

Mirabai, who had once been her understudy, claimed the women’s 48kg spot for her own, forcing Sanjita to make the shift up. This hasn’t been entirely without its benefits. “I don’t have to fight to break the weight. I am able to eat a little bit now!” she says.

She had some success in the new weight category, winning gold at the Commonwealth Championships last year with a total lift of 195kg.

Sanjita faltered at the World Championships, where she could well have pushed for a medal. Before going to Australia for her next big tournament, she had said, “I last went home in December last year. My mom only asks me to earn a name and come back. The last Games were important and this one is too. I haven’t had a good tournament since the 2014 Games. I’ve had a few injuries. So I want to have a good competition once again.”

And so it happened.

Courtesy : espn.com

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