Jiangshan (China), May 11
Indian weightlifter Nirupama Devi narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Asian Weightlifting Championships on Sunday, finishing fourth in the women's 64kg category after two failed clean and jerk attempts.
The 24-year-old from Manipur, a former medallist at the Asian Youth Championships, lifted 91kg in the snatch and followed it with a best of 115kg in clean and jerk, totaling 206kg. However, her missed attempts at 120kg and 125kg in clean and jerk proved costly in the tight contest for bronze.
A successful 125kg lift would have propelled her to a total of 216kg — enough to surpass South Korea’s Mun Min-hee, who secured the bronze with 214kg (94kg snatch + 120kg clean and jerk). Mun is a former 2018 Asian Games medallist.
Host nation China’s Li Shuang dominated the event, claiming gold with a combined lift of 239kg (105kg snatch + 134kg clean and jerk). Elreen Ann Ando of the Philippines took silver with a total of 232kg (102kg + 130kg).
The Asian Championships, a non-Olympic qualifying event this time, is witnessing limited participation from top-tier lifters. India has fielded a two-member squad, with Dilbag Singh scheduled to compete in the men’s 96kg category on Tuesday.