- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Indian para-powerlifter Sudhir on Thursday (4) clinched gold in the men’s heavyweight final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with the best weight of 212 kilograms. After the accomplishment, Sudhir said he would go to London for some shopping and city hopping.
This was the first time that India bagged the top medal in para-powerlifting at the Commonwealth Games.
Sudhir defeated Nigeria’s Ikechukwu Obichukwu (133.6 points) by 0.9 points as his final score read 134.5 points for the gold. The Indian started his event with a successful attempt of a 208kg lift without breaking a sweat, scoring 132.0 points. In his second attempt, he improved to lift 212kg successfully, scoring 134.5 points.
In the third and final attempt, Sudhir failed to lift 217kg but yet won the gold.
India now have six gold medals at the Games along with seven silver and as many bronze medals. With a tally of 20 medals, India are currently placed at No.7 of the medal table. Australia are leading with 50 golds, 42 silvers and 40 bronzes.
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sudhir on his feat, tweeting, “A great start to the CWG 2022 para-sports medal count by Sudhir! He wins a prestigious Gold and shows yet again his dedication and determination. He has been consistently performing well on the field. Congratulations and best wishes to him for all upcoming endeavours.”
A great start to the CWG 2022 para-sports medal count by Sudhir! He wins a prestigious Gold and shows yet again his dedication and determination. He has been consistently performing well on the field. Congratulations and best wishes to him for all upcoming endeavours. pic.twitter.com/6V2mXZsEma
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 5, 2022
Sudhir later thanked the crowd at the venue for supporting him throughout his mission.
“I absolutely thought I would win gold. My preparation was very good and I thank Birmingham for this. Preparation was good, the weather was good, the crowd was great fantastic,” Sudhir was quoted as saying on the Olympics website.
“Next for me is a celebration: I’m going to London to enjoy some shopping and see the city,” he said.
