Historic gold for India at CWG; Sudhir breaks Games record in para powerlifting
Asian Para-Games Bronze medalist, Sudhir wins India's 1st ever Gold medal in para powerlifting at Commonwealth Games with a Games Record to his name. He won his maiden Gold in Men's Heavyweight with 134.5 points (GR) at CWG.
FollowIndia won the Gold medal in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting event at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with Sudhir breaking the Games record.
Sudhir opened India's para sports medal account in the ongoing CWG after lifting 208kg in his first attempt and then hauling 212kg in his second attempt to gather a total of 134.5 points. The silver went to Nigeria's Ikechukwu Christian Obichukwu with 133.6 points, while Micky Yule won the bronze with 130.9 points.
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Hailing Sudhir's performance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "A great start to the CWG 2022 para-sports medal count by Sudhir! He wins a prestigious Gold and shows yet again his dedication and determination. He has been consistently performing well on the field. Congratulations and best wishes to him for all upcoming endeavours."
Sudhir, who started powerlifting in 2013 in Sonipat, has also qualified for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games, which was postponed to next year.Â
The 27-year-old, who is an Asian Para Games bronze medallist, has an impairment due to the effects of polio. Polio did not deter Sudhir from developing a lifelong interest in sports and, eventually, weight lifting. He began his sporting career in 2013. Three years later, he won gold in his first nationals in 2016. His international debut was at the 2018 Asian Para Games where he won the bronze medal. Sudhir works as a senior weightlifting coach for the Haryana government. In June, Sudhir won a bronze in the men's 88kg category with a best lift of 214kg at the World Para Powerlifting Asia-Oceania Open Championship held in South Korea.
Congratulating Sudhir, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said: "Yet another athlete from Haryana makes a mark on the world stage. With the display of skill and spirit on the mat today, you showed the world what champions are made of."
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