National Games: Chandigarh’s Vanshita becomes 81 kg winner in women’s weightlifting event

“When I archetypal joined the nationalist campy astatine Patiala successful 2022, Mirabai Chanu didi told maine conscionable to deliberation astir 1 thing: ‘Forget everything, conscionable absorption and bask your weightlifting. Rest of the things volition automatically autumn into place.’ Her words reverberated erstwhile I won my 2nd National Games rubric today. It’s a peculiar infinitesimal for maine and I dedicate this medal to Mirabai Chanu di,” the Chandigarh youngster portion speaking with The Indian Express implicit the telephone from Dehradun.

It was successful 2018 that the past Sri Guru Gobind Singh Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, pupil started her vocation successful weightlifting astatine the Sector 42 Sports Complex nether manager Karanveer Singh Buttar. With medals successful Chandigarh Championships nether her belt, the youngster won her archetypal inferior nationalist rubric successful the 76kg class successful the Junior National Weightlifting Championships astatine Patiala successful 2021. The youngster past won her archetypal elder nationalist rubric with a golden successful 81kg class successful the nationals held astatine Bhubaneswar, Orissa, successful 2022. It was besides the twelvemonth erstwhile the youngster made her mode into the nationalist campy astatine NIS, Patiala, nether main manager Vijay Sharma.

Last year, Verma won the metallic medal successful the nationals astatine Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, with a caller cleanable and jerk nationalist grounds of 123kg. The aforesaid twelvemonth she won the golden successful 81kg class successful the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship successful Noida earlier she won her archetypal National Games rubric successful Goa with a full assistance of 217kg. Last year, Verma won her 2nd elder nationalist golden successful Arunachal Pradesh with a full assistance of 221kg, missing the nationalist grounds of 222kg of Poonam Yadav.

“When I started nether manager Karanveer Singh Buttar, my begetter Kulbhushan Verma would driblet maine to the weightlifting hallway and encouraged maine not to interest astir my training. Winning the inferior nationalist rubric successful 2021 was a peculiar feeling arsenic good arsenic my archetypal elder nationalist rubric successful Orissa successful 2022. The Commonwealth Championships rubric arsenic good arsenic my maiden nationalist games rubric besides motivated maine a lot. I person been grooming nether Railways manager Christopher VA for the past 2 years and hopefully I volition beryllium capable to interruption Poonam didi’s nationalist grounds successful the coming years,” Verma said.

Coach Buttar has seen his ward execute glory and believes that the youngster volition lone improve. “When she started grooming nether maine astatine Sector 41 Sports Complex successful 2018, I was impressed with her earthy assistance style. We worked upon her spot arsenic good arsenic cleanable lifting. She would ever beryllium acceptable to accommodate to immoderate changes we worked upon, including not pressing her limb overmuch and keeping her backmost tight. For the past 2 years, she has been successful the nationalist campy arsenic good arsenic Indian Railways, and it’s bully to spot her turn arsenic a weight-lifter,” Buttar said.

Chandigarh Weightlifting Association vice president Kamaldeep Singh Bansal excessively was contiguous astatine Dehradun on with Chandigarh Chef-de ngo Rajiv Sharma. “It’s Chandigarh’s archetypal golden medal successful this National Games and we anticipation determination volition beryllium much golden medals,” said Sharma.

Meanwhile, the Chandigarh men’s squad won metallic medal successful the event. The squad mislaid against Uttar Pradesh successful the last connected Sunday.

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