Bhubaneswar: Young Odia lifter Swayamjit Prasad Sahoo bagged a gold medal in the 67kg youth category in his international debut at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Suva, Fiji on Wednesday.
The 17-year-old lifter from Sariapada village in Dhenkanal district, clinched the gold with a total lift of 247kg, which included 109kg in snatch and 138kg in clean & jerk. This is also the first-ever gold medal for Swayamjit, who trains under foreign coaches at the Odisha-Tenvic Weightlifting High Performance Centre, Kalinga Stadium here.
His previous major achievement was a bronze medal at the National Weightlifting Championship in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh on 1 January 2024.
Meanwhile, Odisha achieved another weightlifting success today as the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) announced that Odisha girl Mina Santa had set a new National Record in 55kg youth category while winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Championship in Suva yesterday.
