NEW DELHI, June 3 (PTI): India’s Commonwealth Games-bound weightlifting team, including Tokyo Olympics Silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, will reach the host city Birmingham one month in advance to acclimatise with the conditions and undergo a preparatory camp ahead of the quadrennial event.
The CWG is scheduled to take place from July 28 to August 8 in Birmingham, UK.
The Indian lifters are awaiting visas and are set to fly to the UK on June 20 or 21.
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“The government has approved the preparatory camp. All the bookings are done. We are just waiting for the visas,” Indian Weightlifting Federation president Sahdev Yadav told PTI.
“The lifters will travel one month in advance. The exact date will be finalised after their visas arrive. The tentative travel dates are June 20 or 21,” he added.
Chanu, a two-time medallist at the CWG, having won a Silver in the Glasgow edition in 2014 before clinching the gold four years later at the 2018 Gold Coast Games, has already begun her preparation for the big-ticket event.
The 27-year-old had completed a month-long training stint in the US last month.
However, others, including Youth Olympics champion Jeremy Lalrinnunga, were unable to travel to the US due to visa issues.
India is the powerhouse at the Commonwealth level. At the 2018 CWG, the Indians had returned with a haul of nine medals – five Golds, two Silver and two Bronze.
Chanu to headline inaugural Khelo India National weightlifting ranking c’ships
Before travelling to Birmingham, Chanu will headline the inaugural edition of the Khelo India Youth, Junior and Senior National ranking women weightlifting championships to be held at Nagrota Bagwan, Himachal Pradesh from June 14 to 22.
The tournament will help the IWLF maintain a robust national ranking system while also providing additional competition to the lifters of the country.
The event will also help the federation select lifters for the national camps and international events.
“This competition falls under the Khelo India scheme. It will be organised four times a year,” Yadav told PTI.
“Based on the results, we will prepare the ranking list of the top 15 lifters in each weight category, which will be uploaded on our website.
“Anyone will be able to access the rankings and it will give clarity on the selection process. The children will also get competition,” he added.
Apart from Chanu, reigning junior world champion Harshada Garud and the Commonwealth Games-bound lifters, including Asian champion Jhilli Dalabehera, will compete at the event.
As an additional incentive, the federation has also announced cash rewards for the top eight lifters, starting Rs 20,000.
Indian Team for Commonwealth Games
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Women: Mirabai Chanu (49kg), Bindyarani Devi (55kg), Popy Hazarika (59kg), Harjinder Kaur (71kg), Punam Yadav (76kg), Usha Kumari (87kg) and Purnima Pandey (+87kg).
Men: Sanket Sagar (55kg), Gururaja Poojary (61kg), Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg), Achinta Sehuli (73kg), Ajay Singh (81kg), Vikas Thakur (96kg), Lovepreet Singh (109kg) and Gurdeep Singh (+109kg).
