Commonwealth Games 2018: Sathish Sivalingam to shoulder India's medal hopes in weightlifting at Gold Coast

Name: Sathish Kumar Sivalingam Age: 25 Sport: Weightlifting Category: 77 kg Past Commonwealth Games performance: Gold in 77 kg at Glasgow in 2014 Best Performances: Gold in 77 kg at Commonwealth Games, 2014 [caption id=“attachment_4360899” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Art by Rajan Gaikwad[/caption] Weightlifting has never been India’s strongest suit at major Games with most participants simply filling up the numbers. Having said that, it is the Indian women, who have enjoyed more success in the sport compared to their male counterparts. From Karnam Malleswari — who became the first Indian to win to an Olympic medal in weightlifting in Sydney Games in 2000 in 69 kg category — to Saikhom Mirabai Chanu winning gold at 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in 48 kg category, after 22 years, Indian women have proved their mettle at various world events over the years. Among men, Sathish Kumar Sivalingam has emerged as the face of weightlifting in India. Sathish was born to a former serviceman, who was national level weightlifter himself in Sathuvachari, Vellore, in Tamil Nadu. His father, Sivalingam, quit Army to make ends meet and  started working as a security guard at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University. Under his father’s tutelage, Sathish started training at the age of 13. The 25-year-old will be one of the front-runners at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Sathish, who shot to prominence after claiming the top spot on the podium at Glasgow, will be aiming for a reprise. Sathish won the gold medal in the 77 kg category, with 149 kg snatch, and 179 kg clean and jerk lifts, totalling to 328 kg. His lift of 149 kg in the snatch set a new Games record. Sathish’s growth continued as he won a Rio Olympics berth after topping the selection trials in India, lifting a total of 336kg, comprising of 151kg in snatch and 185kg in clean and jerk. However, he couldn’t leave a lasting impression at the quadrennial event, lifting 148kg in snatch and 181kg in clean and jerk for a total of 329kg to finish fourth in the six-lifter competition in his group and 11th overall. Along with Ragala Venkat Rahul, Sathish made the cut for the Commonwealth Games after his gold-medal winning effort of lifting 148kg in snatch and 172kg in clean and jerk, adding to 320kg at the Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia last year. He would hope to continue his fine form to the mega event to complete a rare double for Indian weightlifting. Click  here  to read profiles of other Indian athletes involved in the Commonwealth Games 2018