Ahmedabad: The women’s 59kg weightlifting event at the 36th National Games, witnessed a tantalising fight for supremacy between North East girls Popy Hazarika (Assam) and Bindyarani Devi of Manipur before the Commonwealth Games silver medallist sneaked past the Assamese lifter to clinch the gold medal by the narrowest of margins at the Mahatma Mandir here on Saturday.
High on her Commonwealth Games silver medal win—albeit in the 55kg category—Bindyarani successfully overcame a 2-kg deficit from the Snatch event to pocket the gold medal with a total lift of 194kg (Snatch 83kg, Clean & Jerk 111kg). Popy, who finished 7th in Birmingham, will be disappointed to let the advantage slip as she finished with a total of 193kg (Snatch 85kg, Clean & Jerk 108kg). Punjab’s Davinder Kaur came up with an impressive show to take the bronze with a total hoist of 193kg (Snatch 85kg, C&J 107kg).
Davinder jumped into the fray after matching Popy’s 85kg in Snatch even as the rivalry between the Northeast lifters intensified in the Clean and Jerk round.
In Snatch, Popy listed 83kgs but failed to get her balance straight under the bar in her first attempt. She, however, came back strongly in the next two attempts to successfully lift 83kgs and 85kgs, respectively. Similarly, Bindyarani registered a ‘No lift’ in her first attempt but quickly made amends in her next two attempts by lifting 81kg and 83kg. Davinder too appeared in her elements, lifting 85kgs after recording 81kgs and a ‘No Lift’.
In clean and jerk, Popy started with a successful lift of 106kgs before raising the bar to 108kg. She, however, failed to keep herself balanced in her third and final attempt of 110kgs. Bindyarani, who had listed 107 as her first lift, seemed at ease, but faltered in her second attempt at lifting 111kgs. Desperate to cut out the deficit and ensure herself the top spot on the podium, a determined Bindyarani took some time to gather herself before her final attempt. A cheer from the Manipur contingent raised her spirits as she readied herself to lift 111kgs, and the 22-year-old made it appear an effortless gold in her new weight class.
After her event, EastMojo caught up with the Manipuri weightlifter, where she expressed her delight at being able to clinch a gold medal in her maiden entry in the new weight category.
“This is a new weight category for me, but frankly speaking, I didn’t figure out any major changes. You got to put on a few more kilograms but other than that there aren’t many changes in the training regime,” she said.
Regarding the new rivalry brewing up between her and Popy, she said, “Popy has been participating in the 59kg category for quite some time now, and she knows what it needs to win medals in this class. There is a healthy competition between us, and that pushes both of us to be on the edge”
The contest was so intense that it was left for the final lift of the contest for Bindyarani to overturn the deficit. The youngster from Manipur said she knew that pressure was building on her, especially after she registered a No lift in the penultimate attempt of 111kgs.
“It was important for me to keep my calm, as there was pressure building on me after that failed chance. I had the confidence of raising the bar successfully, all I needed was to keep myself free from any mental baggage. After all, it’s a sport, and there are some events which might or might not go in your favour, you gotta live with it,” she said.
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