Arunachal lifters shine with seven medals at National Weightlifting Championships

Guwahati: Arunachal Pradesh weightlifters flexed their muscles, capturing seven medals, including one gold, one silver, and five bronze, on the second day of the IWLF National Senior, Junior, and Youth Weightlifting Championships at Rajiv Gandhi University.

Shankar Lapung was the star of the show, claiming both the gold medal in the senior men's 61kg interstate division and the overall bronze in the same category. He impressed with a total lift of 271 kg (121kg snatch 150kg clean & jerk).

Another Arunachali lifter, Charu Pesi, secured the silver medal in the interstate division with a total lift of 265 kg (117kg snatch 148kg clean & jerk). Assam's Siddhartha Gogoi completed the podium in this category with a total of 261 kg.

Sostar Tama doubled his bronze medal tally, achieving the feat in both the youth and junior boys' 55kg category. He demonstrated consistent strength with a total lift of 213 kg (93kg snatch 120kg clean & jerk) in both categories.

Tagrik Naya added another bronze for Arunachal in the junior women's 45kg category, lifting a total of 128kg (56kg snatch 72kg clean & jerk). Chera Tania rounded off the state's medal haul with a bronze in the junior men's 61kg category, lifting a total of 241kg (102kg snatch 139kg clean & jerk).

The championships showcase the participation of over 900 lifters and 200 officials from across India, including Services, the All India Police Sports Control Board, the Railway Sports Control Board, and the Food Corporation of India.

Arunachal has fielded a strong contingent of 41 athletes, including established names like Sambo Lapung, Kojum Taba, Markio Tario, and Soram Hitler Tagru. The competition continues until January 8th.

This is the second time Arunachal has hosted the national weightlifting championship, having previously held the senior edition in 2011.