By Our Special Correspondent
Jeremy Lalrinnunga endured excruciating pain en route to a sensational gold medal at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) as the teenage sensation broke two CWG weightlifting records here on Sunday.
The reigning Youth Olympic champion first bettered the snatch mark with a successful 140kg effort and then lifted 160kg in the clean and jerk to reach 300kg, a new Games record in the men's 67kg competition.
A massive 7kg difference from his nearest rival Samoa's Waipawa Ione (127kg +166kg) summed up the dominance of the 19-year-old, who first hit the headlines in 2018 by winning a historic gold at the Youth Olympics. 290kg (130kg+160kg) attempt with Nigeria's Ediong Umofia. This is India's fifth medal and second gold from the weightlifting arena at the National Exhibition Centre.
She saw the idol Mirabi Cha, dominate Jeremy in the snatch, but the tight competition in the clean and jerk made it a thrilling contest. The cramping he experienced during his clean-and-jerk attempt added to the anxiety as his thigh and hamstring muscles pulled.
"I completely blanked out and was clueless what was going around me. I was like blind and cried a lot (after the failed attempt)," Jeremy said after winning the gold.
"I never followed the other lifts, it was so painful. Crying out loud, I asked the coach 'medal aya ke nahin?' (Did I get a medal?) Coach Sir told me 'gold hai hamara' ('you have won the gold) and it soothed my nerves."
"Coach Sir (Vijay Sharma) was amazing; he managed all the weights and made sure I landed the medal safely. He was very calculative and never had any self-doubt."
"It feels like I'm in a different world now and living a dream. This is my first major competition at the senior level after the Youth Olympics," he added. In the absence of formidable rival Talha Talib of Pakistan, who is suspended for doping, Jeremy faces no competition in the snatch. He takes a 10kg cushion leading to a clean and jerk.
Starting with a reckless lift of 136 kg, the Mizoram 'boy' broke the Games record by lifting 140 kg in his second attempt and walked back into the tunnel, beating his chest and sporting a wide smile.
After that, he attempted 143kg in his attempt to better his best effort of 141kg (Commonwealth Championships Tashkent, December 2021). However he couldn't hold his balance and after two failed attempts opted for a 'no lift' to settle for 140kg, a healthy 10kg ahead of his favorite Nigerian rival Edidiong Umofia who managed 130kg.
In the clean and jerk, Jeremy first lifted 154kg and followed it up with 160kg, which was six kilograms short of his personal best but equal to the Games record. He was unable to lift 165kg and tumbled over the board, but was no match for the Samoan who tried to lift 166kg on his second attempt to give him some challenge.
Born in Aizawl in 2002, the son of a junior national champion boxer, Lalrinnunga, sports came naturally to him. From his "first love" boxing he had to switch to weightlifting with difficulty and never looked back after joining the Army Sports Institute.
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