16-year-old Gurunaidu Sanapathi has won a gold medal with a total effort of 230kg (104kg+126kg) in the boy’s 55kg event to become India’s first weightlifter to win a gold at the IWF Youth World Championships in Leon, Mexico on Sunday.
While Sanapathi, the bronze medallist at the 2020 Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship, was crowned the world youth champion, Saudi Arabia’s Ali Majeed 229kg (105kg+124kg) claimed the second position, and Yerassyl Umrov of Kazakhstan 224kg (100kg+124kg) stood third.
Besides Sanapathi, fellow citizen Soumya S. Dalvi secured the bronze in her event on the second day of the competition. Dalvi, hailing from Maharashtra, a two-time Khelo India Youth gold medallist, pulled 148kg (65kg+83kg) to clinch the third spot in the 45kg girl’s event behind Philipines’s Rose J Ramos 155kg (70kg+85kg) and Venezuelan Kerlys M. Montilla 153kg (71kg+82kg) while Indian R Bhavani finished eighth with a best effort of 132kg(57kg+75kg).
India has gained a total of four medals so far at the world event. On the tournament’s opening day, Akansha Kishor Vyavhare and Vijay Prajapati won silver medals in their respective events.
India did not take part in the previous edition of the tournament that was held last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
