Lifter Ajay tops Group B in Asian meet

Ningbo (China), April 22

Ajay Singh and Achinta Sheuli finished first and third, respectively, in the easier Group B competition at the Asian Weightlifting Championship.

Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships bronze medallist Ajay lifted 320kg (142kg+178kg) in the men’s 81kg Group B event to be placed at the top of the four-man field. His final standing will be determined on Tuesday after the end of Group A proceedings. National champion Achinta finished third with a total lift of 297kg -137kg in snatch and 160kg in clean and jerk - in the 77kg Group B event. The 18-year-old finished behind Indonesia’s Rahmat Erwin Abdullah 312kg (141kg+171kg) and Vietnam’s Pham Tuan Anh 304kg (133kg+171kg). The Asian Weighlifting Championships is a gold-level qualifying event of the 2020 Olympics. On Sunday, Youth Olympics gold medallist Jeremy Lalrinnunga set three world records. The points gathered from the event will come in handy when the final rankings for the Olympics are made next year. — PTI