Mirabai, Jeremy, and Achinta to skip Asian Championships to prepare for a three week training camp
Seven Indian weightlifters, including Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu, will go to the United States on Tuesday for a three-and-a-half-week strength and conditioning training camp in St. Louis. Jeremy, Achinta Sheuli, Sanket Sargar, Bindyarani Devi, Gurdeep Singh Jhilli Dalabehra will also go.
"We will be in USA for 23-24 days. It is the off-season so we will have a strength program there," India head coach Vijay Sharma told PTI. Sargar will go through rehabilitation after having surgery for the elbow injury he sustained during his competition at the CWG.
"All these lifters have small niggles like Gurdeep has some issue in his wrist. Sanket will go through proper rehab. We want that everyone is perfectly fit for the World Championships," he added.
Dr. Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter who is now a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach, will work with the lifters. Horschig has been advising Chanu since 2020. He was crucial in resolving her unbalance problem, which had an impact on her snatching technique. Prior to the CWG, she trained with Horschig for a month in March.
"Mira currently doesn't have any issue but since we are going there she will also do some strength training," Sharma said. Senior weightlifters will not compete in this year's Asian Championships in favour of the World meet, which serves as an Olympic qualifying competition. The Asian Championships are slated to take place from October 6 to October 16 in Manama, Bahrain. India will compete with its junior lifters-only "B" squad.
"The lifters who have returned from the CWG will not compete in the Asian Championships. We will be sending our B team," Sharma said. "The focus is on the World Championship which is a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics," the head coach added. The World Championship is the initial competition for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it will take place from December 5 to December 15 in Bogota, Colombia.
Three gold medals and ten silver medals were among the haul the Indian weightlifting team brought home earlier this month. Sharma lamented the squandered opportunities while being pleased with his lifters' CWG efforts. "It could have been better. Ajay (Singh), who was gold contender, missed a medal. Sanket too missed out on the gold and Poonam as well."
