Weighing machines
Jeremy lifts gold, Bindyarani bags silver as India’s tally swells
Birmingham, July 31: If you want a medal just put a picture of it as your mobile phone wallpaper — that’s Jeremy Lalrinnunga’s simple way of manifesting his dreams into reality.the trick has a 100 per cent success record. It worked at the 2018 Youth Olympics, where Jeremy won India’s first-ever gold and then again on Sunday when he claimed the yellow metal in the men’s 67kg event at the CWG.
“It’s something I did before the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires and I followed the same for Birmingham,” the reigning youth Olympic champion, who also landed the gold on his CWG debut, said.
So, what’s next? A wallpaper of the Paris Olympic medal when it’s unveiled?
Jeremy sports a broad grin, despite the currents of pain he has in his calf muscles.
“Yes, that’s (Olympics medal) the target, but it will be a long and tough journey ahead,” said the jovial teenager.
The 19-year-old will have to bulk up for the Paris Games as his 67kg category has been scrapped by the International Weightlifting Federation.
“The transition would not be easy, I’ve to move to a higher weight category -I have to put on six kilograms to shift to the 73kg Olympic category. Keeping my fingers crossed (for Paris),” he added.
The God-fearing and highly superstitious Jeremy also sports a huge tattoo on his left forearm, one of a boxer juxtaposed with a wrestler in action one upon the other with some roman numerals below and above that the pattern “MOM” is clearly visible.
“7-7 is my mom’s (Lalmuanpuii’s) date of birth, while 1988 was the year my dad started boxing,” he said about his father Lalneihtluanga, a junior national champion boxer who is now “living his dream through his son”.
The top row has letters 11112011, which is the date November 11, 2011, when Jeremy first stepped on the weightlifting board as a nine-year-old.
“Whenever I’m down or having a tough time I just look at them (the tattoos). I’m a firm believer of God and whenever there’s a difficult time I dial my mom and ask her to pray for me,” he said.
“Just before coming here, I was having a tough time so my mom prayed for me on the phone and it kept me charged up. I’m sure everyone back home will be really happy for me,” he said.
Jeremy has had a tough time overcoming injuries that included a knee surgery last year.
FARMER’S DAUGHTER WINS SILVER
India’s Bindyarani Devi, daughter of a Manipur farmer, raised her game to secure a silver in the women’s 55kg category. The 23-year-old lifted 116kg in the clean and jerk after a personal best of 86kg in the snatch section, totalling 202 kg on Saturday.
“It is my first CWG and I feel very happy about the silver and about the Games record as well," Bindyarani said.
Like Chanu, Bindyarani too hails from Manipur. She had won the Commonwealth Championships gold in 2019 before getting a silver in the 2021 edition.
Daughter of a farmer who also owns grocery shop, Bindyarani took up weightlifting due to her short height.
— PTI