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The Asian Weightlifting Championship will kick off in Jinju, South Korea from May 3 and in the latest update, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist Mirabai Chanu will lead the Indian contingent in her first international competition of the year. The six-person team will also include Jeremy Lalrinnunga (men's 67 kg), Narayana Ajith (73kg), Achinta Sheuli (men's 73 kg), Shubham Todkar (men’s 61kg), and Bindyarani Devi (women’s 55kg).
As per Olympics.com, this competition will be the second in the series of qualifying events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The weightlifters will be able to improve their Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) based on their results at the Asian Weightlifting Championships.
The Indian star weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu finished second in the women's 49 kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships 2022, held in Colombia in December. The 28-year-old suffered a wrist injury during a training session and had to undergo a five-month rehabilitation program at NIS Patiala later and will now be competing in the 49 kg division.
Jeremy Lalrinnunga, on the other hand, suffered a thigh and hamstring injury during his gold-winning performance at the Commonwealth Games and it will be his first event since the injury. Another CWG gold medallist, Achinta Sheuli is also coming back from a hamstring injury that he got just before the World Championships and had to pull out from the competition. The 2022 CWG silver medallist Bindyarani Devi will keep competing in the women’s 55 kg division.
It is to be noted that Harshada Garud became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the International Weightlifting Federation’s World Juniors Weightlifting Championships. She also bagged a bronze at the Asian Weightlifting Championship in the 45 kg category.
