Lovepreet Singh wins bronze in weightlifting at CWG 2022

The lifter established a new national record in the clean and jerk.

Lovepreet Singh bagged bronze in the men’s weightlifting 109kg category final at Commonwealth Games (CWG) 2022. He lifted a total of 355kgs (snatch - 163kgs and 192kgs) to secure the third rank. Junior Periclex Ngadja Nyabeyeu of Cameroon won gold and Jack Hitila Opeloge of Samoa won bronze with combined lifts of 361kgs and 358kgs respectively. 

Lovepreet began his snatch round with a lift of 157kgs. No other weightlifter had selected a weight as high as 157kgs to start with. Lovepreet lifted it successfully and then went on to record 161kgs and 163kgs in his next two snatch attempts. At the midway mark, he was tied at the second spot with England’s Pierre-Alexandre Bessette. A kilogram separated them from the top spot held by Jack Hitila Opeloge of Samoa.

In the clean and jerk round, Lovepreet again registered three legitimate lifts. He started with 185kgs in his first attempt. He then lifted 189kgs and 192kgs to end his designated quota of six lifts. Jackson George Roberts-Young of Australia had an outstanding show in this round. However, his dismal performance in the snatch round meant Lovepreet was always in contention for the third position.

Still a rookie on the international stage

Lovepreet, only 24, made his senior international debut last year. The Indian Navy officer won the silver medal at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships. In 2017. He also won bronze at the Asian Youth Championships and gold at the Junior Commonwealth Championships in the 105kg category.

India ruling the roost

With Lovepreet’s bronze the latest medal, India have won a total of nine medals (3 golds, 3 silvers, 3 bronzes) in the weightlifting discipline at the ongoing CWG 2022. They have equalled their 2018 Gold Coast CWG’s tally of nine medals. However, in the previous edition, the Indians had as many as five gold medals to their name. With two more medal events in fray, the possibility to equal this mark seems probable too. 

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