In Weightlifting, Harshada Sharad Garud scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the IWF Junior World Championships at Heraklion in Greece. She won the 45-kilogram weight category with a total of 153 kilograms lifted, including 70 kilograms in Snatch and 83 kilograms in Clean and Jerk.
Key Points:
- Garud led India to a medal on the first day of the competition, leaving eight rivals behind. Bektas Cansu of Turkey won the silver medal, while Teodora-Luminita Hincu of Moldova won the bronze.
- The other Indian in the same weight category, Anjali Patel finished fifth with a total effort of 148 kilograms which included 67 kilograms in snatch and 81 kilograms in clean and jerk.
- Only two Indians have won a medal in the IWF Junior World Championships before
- Mirabai Chanu was a bronze medalist in 2013 while Achinta Sheuli was a silver medalist the previous year.
About Harshada Sharad Garud:
- Harshada Sharad Garud, the first Indian weightlifter to win a gold medal at the IWF Junior World Championship 2022, also won the under-17 girls’ title at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games.
- Harshada began weightlifting as a 12-year-old at the urging of her father, Sharad Garud, who was a state-level weightlifter himself.
