Asian Weightlifting Championship | 16-year-old Jeremy Lalrinnunga breaks 15 records

04/22/2019

It was a brilliant day in the office for the Indian weightlifting contingent as promising youngster Jeremy Lalrinnunga smashed as many as 15 records to claim three world marks and finish second in his group in Ningbo on Sunday. It was only the second international competition for Lalrinnunga.

India’s Olympics dream doesn’t seem to be that far now after Lalrinnunga’s sensational display at the Asian Weightlifting Championship. The Youth Olympic gold medalist broke the Youth World and Asian records in snatch, clean and jerk in a total lifting of 297kg (134kg+163kg), which placed him second in his group behind Pakistan’s Talha Talib, who had lifted 304kg (140kg+164kg).

In the 15 records that Larinnunga broke, combining national and international marks, they were six international records — three youth world and three youth Asian — and nine national records — three youth national, three junior national as well as three senior national records.

The weightlifter from Mizoram lifted in two of his three attempts at clean lifts with relative ease in snatch (130kg, 134kg), which set a new youth world record itself. The earlier youth world record was held by Larinnunga only when he had lifted 131kg in the EGAT Cup in February earlier this year.

That was not it as Lalrinnunga lifted more than double of his body weight (157kg, 163kg) in the clean and jerk, in two successful attempts, which broke Kazakhstan weightlifter Saikhan Taisuyev’s previous youth world record of 161kg. It was also Jeremy’s personal best and 9kg more than his 288kg youth world record in the EGAT cup, where he had to settle for a silver medal.

His 67kg category was added to the Olympics and other events only last year by the international federation and in the process might have let a beast out of its cage. Lalrinnunga smashed the 67kg national senior record as well in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift category. It was his own snatch record of 131kg as well as Gulam Navi’s clean and jerk record of 160kg, as his current total lift record is an astonishing 288kg.

The points at the Asian Championships would be counted when the final rankings for Tokyo 2020 cut are done.