Birmingham: Indian weightlifter Sanket Sargar opened the country’s medal count at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday by claiming silver in the men’s 55kg category.
The 21-year-old looked on track to take the gold, but two failed clean and jerk attempts got in the way as he lifted a total of 248kg (113kg + 135kg) to finish second.
Malaysian Mohamad Aniq (249 kg) broke the Games record with a jerk when he lifted 249 kg (107 kg + 142 kg) to win the gold, while Sri Lankan Dilanka Isuru Kumara 225 kg (105 kg + 120 kg) took home the bronze.
Sargar rode past all his opponents in the snatch section and led to clean and jerk with six kilograms.
But the Indian was only able to pull off one lift in the clean and jerk section when he sustained an injury and looked in agony after failing to lift 139kg in his second and third attempts.
In the latest edition, Indian hitchhikers brought home a rich harvest of nine medals, including five golds. Also this year they are expected to be supreme.
Later in the day, P Gururaja (61 kg), Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu (49 kg) and S Bindyarani Devi (55 kg) will compete for the top honors in their respective events.
Read also | COVID scare in Indian women’s hockey team camp as Navjot in isolation
