Jeremy Lalrinnunga fails to rank despite clinching silver in snatch at Asian Championships

Jeremy Lalrinnunga (Pic: SAI_Media/Twitter)

India's Jeremy Lalrinnunga had a forgetful Asian Championships campaign as he could not register an overall total after failing to lift in any of his three clean-and-jerk attempts in a disappointing show on Sunday. However, he won a silver medal in the snatch event with a personal best-equalling lift of 141kg in the non-Olympic 67kg weight class.

Competing in his first tournament since winning the gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 20-year-old was the only one in the 12-lifter field who did not finish (DNF) his event. He failed to lift 165kg in his first two clean and jerk attempts. He then increased the weight to 168kg, which would have been 2kg more than his personal best and also a national record, but the reigning Youth Olympic champion faltered again. In fact, out of six attempts, three each in snatch and clean and jerk, Jeremy could lift the barbell only twice.

"I don't know what happened today. It was just bad luck. After two failed attempts in clean and jerk, I went for the national record. I have lifted 168kg several times in training but today it was just not my day," Jeremy told PTI.

Also Read: India's Bindyarani Devi wins silver at Asian Championships

The Mizo lifter, who is returning from a thigh injury that saw him miss last year's World Championship, looked rusty from the beginning. He got off to a bad start, faltering in his opening snatch attempt of 137kg as his right knee gave away. However, he was able to lift the same weight comfortably on his next try.

Jeremy then bettered the snatch mark with a successful 141kg attempt to register the second-highest lift in the section before things went downhill for him.

China's He Yueji 320kg (147kg+173kg) finished with the gold, while local favourite Lee Sangyeon 314kg (139kg+175kg) and Uzbek lifter Ergashev Adkhamjon 312kg (138kg+174kg) took home the silver and bronze medals respectively.

On Saturday, Bindyarani Devi had opened India's medal count by winning silver in the women's 55kg event.

(With PTI inputs)