S Sathish Kumar, R V Rahul win gold at Commonwealth weightlifting championships, seal 2018 CWG spot

New Delhi: India’s Sivalingam Sathish Kumar and Ragala Venkat Rahul qualified for next year’s Commonwealth Games after winning a gold medal each in their respective weight divisions at the Commonwealth Senior (men & women) Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. [caption id=“attachment_1713079” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Sathish Kumar Sivalingam. AFP[/caption] Rahul created several new records en-route to his standout total lift of 351kg while competing in both senior and junior men’s categories. He lifted 156kg in snatch and 195kg in clean & jerk. 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Sathish Kumar lifted 148kg in snatch and 172kg in clean & jerk for a total effort of 320kg in senior men’s 77kg. Meanwhile, the Indians did well in the junior and youth sections as well. In junior men’s 77kg, Ajay Singh bagged the yellow metal with a total lift of 310kg (140kg + 170kg). In youth boys category, Ragala Varun clinched the gold with an overall effort of 269kg (124kg + 145kg), while Abhishek Poonia settled for a bronze as he lifted 113kg in snatch and 143kg in clean & jerk for a total of 256kg. Two Indian women weightlifters also claimed gold medals on the day. S Nirupama Devi (junior women’s 69kg) lifted a total weight of 178kg (77kg + 101kg) while Nikeeta Kale (youth girls 69kg) lifted a total of 163kg (73kg + 90kg) to finish on the top of the podium.