A three-member Indian team, comprising all women, will compete in the World Weightlifting Championship in Manama, Bahrain, starting Friday. The tournament, which runs until December 16, will not feature Tokyo 2020 Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu, as she focuses on long-term rehabilitation for her injuries. Chanu last competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she narrowly missed a medal, finishing fourth.
In her absence, rising star Gyaneshwari Yadav will represent India in the women’s 49kg category. Yadav, a silver medalist at the Junior World Championships and a gold medalist in last year’s Commonwealth Championships in the same weight class, is the only Indian lifter in Group A of her category at the championships.
The other Indian lifters include Commonwealth Games silver medalist Bindyarani Devi, who will compete in Group B of the women’s 55kg category, a non-Olympic weight class. Meanwhile, Ditimoni Sonowal will participate in the women’s 64kg Group C, which is also a non-Olympic weight class.
India will not have any male competitors this year, a stark contrast to last year’s championships in Riyadh, where four male lifters—Achinta Sheuli, Ajith Narayan, Gurdeep Singh, and Shubham Tanaji Todkar—represented the country.
World Weightlifting Championships 2024: Schedule for Indian Lifters (IST)
December 7 (Saturday)
– Women’s 49kg (A): 8:00 PM
December 8 (Sunday)
– Women’s 55kg (C): 12:30 PM
– Women’s 55kg (B): 5:30 PM
– Women’s 55kg (A): 10:30 PM
December 10 (Tuesday)
– Women’s 64kg (D): 10:30 AM
– Women’s 64kg (C): 12:30 PM
– Women’s 64kg (B): 5:30 PM
– Women’s 64kg (A): 10:30 PM