What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
BENGALURU: Dubbed Mirabai 2.O, the latest sensation from Manipur – Bindyarani Devi – hit her strides on Saturday and won the silver medal for India at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in the Women’s 55kg Weightlifting category. The 23-year-old lifted a combined weight of 202kg – 86kg in the snatch round and 116kg in the clean and jerk round, which is a CWG record.
She was head and shoulders above everyone else in the clean and jerk round but trailed by 6kg to Nigeria’s Adijat Olarinoye – who snapped up the gold medal – in the snatch round.
It was splendidly fitting that she and Mirabai Chanu won their medals on the same day as they share myriad similarities. Both of them are from the same state, same city and cut their teeth in weightlifting at the same sports academy in Manipur.
Unsurprisingly, Chanu has always been an inspiration for Bindyarani.
“Mira di has been very important to my success. She is always there to help me with my technique and training. When I was new at the camp, she also ensured I settled down easily,” she said last year.
“She knew I didn’t have the money to buy the lifting shoes but she didn’t think twice before giving me those shoes. She was always an inspiration and her down-to-earth behaviour made me her bigger fan,” Bindyarani stated.
Born in 1999, Bindyarani was shot to prominence when she racked up the gold medal at the World Championship in 2021 in the clean and jerk segment of the 55kg category. During her impressive show, she defeated Tokyo Olympic champion Ham Eun-ji. However, she lost to Olarinoye in the battle for the silver medal at the Commonwealth Championships in Tashkent.
The fact that she has lost to Olarinoye in two consecutive championships also reveals a minute chink in her armour. While she is prodigiously superlative in the clean and jerk segment, Bindyarani has some strides to make in the snatch round. She’s just 23 and has a long road ahead. By tiding over this shortcoming, she can expect to win many more medals at international weightlifting events.
