Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli to compete for Paris berth

The two athletes will be vying for a spot in the 73kg weight class.

Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli of India, gold medalists at the Commonwealth Games 2022, will compete in the 73kg division for a spot at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Both weightlifters set new records in their respective weight classes at the CWG. In Birmingham, Jeremy from Mizoram, won the men's 67kg division with a total of 300kgs (snatch – 140kgs; clean and jerk – 160kgs). 

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With a total lift of 313 kilograms, Achinta Sheuli of Kolkata won the men's 73kg division (snatch – 143kgs; clean and jerk – 170kgs). 

Because the 67-kilogram weight class is not included at the Paris Olympics, the Birmingham 2022 champions will have to compete for a spot at the next Summer Olympics in France. 

IWF allows only one athlete

The Olympic qualification ranking of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) allows only one athlete per country to compete in a given weight category. 

The IWF rankings will be determined by six international competitions, beginning in November with the World Championships in Colombia. 

Jeremy Lalrinnunga, the Youth Olympic champion, will have to practice and get perfect in the new weight class. He will face a formidable challenge from Achinta Sheuli, who holds the national record in the 73-kilogram division with a total weight of 316kgs.

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Jeremy must break his personal best of 306 kg

"The transition to a heavier weight category will be challenging. "I intend to compete in the new category at the World Championships and have little time to waste," Jeremy Lalrinnunga told Firstpost. 

Vijay Sharma, the national weightlifting coach, praised the decision to keep both lifters in the same category because the next option was 89kg, which neither athlete could achieve due to their physique.

"The only option is to keep them in the same category. "However, we are not discouraged because they are both exceptional athletes who will complement each other at the national and international levels to achieve their goals," Sharma stated. 

Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli are set to return to national camp training at NIS in Patiala next week. 

There will be 10 weight categories at Paris 2024, five for each gender. The weight categories for men are 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg and +102kg. Weight categories for women are 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg, and +81kg. 

Mirabai Chanu, the Olympic silver medalist and CWG champion will compete in the 49kg.

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