Achinta Sheuli bagged India’s third gold medal, and sixth overall, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games after storming to victory in the men’s 73kg weightlifting event in Birmingham on Sunday.
Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Muhammad, who gave Sheuli a tough competition, ended as the second best lifter in the event. He had a best effort of 303kg (138kg+165kg). Canada’s Shad Darsigny was third with a total lift of 298kg (135kg+163kg).
Weightlifters have been the star performers for India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games so far.
Sheuli, a junior world championship silver medallist, executed three clean lifts — 137kg, 140kg and 143kg — in the snatch section.
Achinta, the 20-year-old former tailor from Howrah district of West Bengal, started weightlifting in the year 2011, idolising his brother who was also a former Weightlifter. He later joined Army Sports Institute in 2015 and continued to excel in the sport. Same year in 2015 he was brought on board in the Indian National Camp. In 2016 and 2017 he again trained at ASI, after which he has been in the National camp since 2018.
