Asian Championships: Lifters Jhilli Dalabehera, Gyaneshwari Yadav finish 4th and 5th

Manama, October 9

Indian lifters Jhili Dalabehera and Gyaneshwari Yadav finished fourth and fifth respectively in the severely depleted women’s 49kg competition at the Asian Championships here.

Both Jhilli and Gyaneshwari lifted the same total of 171kg on Saturday night.

Jhili, a former Asian Championship gold medallist in the 45kg event, heaved (77kg+94kg). Had she managed to lift 94kg in her third clean and jerk attempt, she would have won the bronze medal.

World junior silver medallist Gyaneshwari, on the other hand, registered her personal best in both snatch (76kg) and clean and jerk (95kg).

It is the same weight division in which Mirabai Chanu, who has given the continental tournament a miss, won a silver at the Tokyo Olympics, with an effort off 202kg (87kg+115kg).

In the last edition of the tournament, Chanu had won the bronze medal in the women’s 49kg event and had also registered the current clean and jerk world record of 119kg.

China’s Jiali Wang clinched the gold with an effort of 186kg (81kg+105kg).

Chinese Taipei’s Jing Lin Cheng, who lifted 181kg (79kg-102kg), and Turkmenistan’s Yulduz Jumabayeva 172kg (75kg+97kg), took home the silver and bronze, respectively.

Earlier on Saturday, Harshada Garud had won a bronze in the women’s 45kg event.

India have fielded a 13-member squad for the tournament, comprising mainly of juniors.

Several top lifters from across the continent have chosen to give the tournament a miss and instead concentrate on the World Championships in December which will also serve as a qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics.