Harjinder Kaur rides her luck to a Bronze Medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 2 August 2022

Weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2022: Despite not lifting her best, Indian weightlifter Harjinder Kaur won the bronze medal in the women's 71 kg division, defeating England's Sarah Davies, who smashed numerous records to win the gold. The 25-year-old from Mehas village near Nabha in Punjab lifted 93 kg in the snatch and 119 kg in the clean and jerk for a subpar total of 212 kg in the competition. At one point, she believed she had missed out on a medal because Alexis Ashworth of Canada, who won the silver medal, lifted her season's best of 123 kg in the clean and jerk to move up to 214 in the standings.

Harjinder was also fortunate since Joy Ogbonne Eze of Nigeria had a washout after three attempts at lifting 125 kg in the clean and jerk. The Indian would have dropped to fourth place if the Nigerian had won since she had lifted 100 kg, seven kilogrammes more than Harjinder.

At the Commonwealth Games on Monday, August 1, Harjinder's bronze medal gave India a total of three medals, including the silver and bronze earned by judokas Shushila Devi and Vikas Yadav. India now has nine medals overall—three gold, three silver, and three bronze. With Harjinder's bronze medal, India had now won seven medals at these Games in the weightlifting category.

However, after winning six medals over the previous two days in weightlifting, it appeared like India would have a barren day. It appeared like India would suffer another defeat in the final medal event of the day at the National/Exhibition Centre (NEC) in this city after Ajay Singh missed out on a bronze medal by one kilogramme earlier in the morning. Harjinder started with a no lift in her first try in snatch.

Harjinder, who comes from a farming family and has developed her muscles working out at home on the chaffing machine, started with 90 kg for her first effort but failed. In her second effort, she lifted it, and in her third and final attempt, she increased her total to 93 kg.

After Sarah Davies (103, a record for the Commonwealth Games in the snatch), Eze of Nigeria (100), and Kiana Rose Elliott of Australia (94), she finished in fourth place. Additionally competing at 91 kg after failing to lift 94 was Alexis Ashworth.

Eze of Nigeria would have moved up to fourth place if she had lifted 125 pounds in her third try, raising her total weight to 225. Harjinder eventually accomplished enough to win a bronze medal, encouraged by fellow weightlifters Mirabai Chanu, Punam Yadav, Bindiya, and some male lifters.

"I am happy with the bronze because I did not have a good day today and could not perform to the best of my ability. Somehow things did not look good initially but in the end luck favoured me as one lifter had a washout," said Harjinder after the medal ceremony.

She said the support from her fellow lifters and the Indian spectators in the crowd egged her on and encouraged her to motivate her. "We all lifters share a good camaraderie in the team and we all come to the stadium to support each other. I was there along with others to support Mirabai when she participated in her event. So, its nice to have your teammates shouting for you, encouraging you. Today it pushed me to put in that extra ounce of effort," said Harjinder.