Dhanush wins gold third year in a row, Srimathi wins another bronze
Dhanush, who trains under Olympian R Chandrasekharan, had won gold medals in 49kg weight category in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh but opted for a higher weight category in Chennai
L Dhanush with his coach Chandrasekaran; Srimathi
CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu weightlifter L Dhanush continued to make waves as he completed a hat-trick of gold medals when he clinched the boys 55kg title in the 6th Khelo India Youth Games 2023 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Saturday.
Dhanush, who trains under Olympian R Chandrasekharan, had won gold medals in 49kg weight category in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh but opted for a higher weight category in Chennai, where he lifted a total of 225 kg including 101kg in snatch and 124kg in clean and jerk.
“In the 2021 youth national competition held in Bhubaneswar, I lifted 84 kg in snatch and 100 kg in clean and jerk in 49 kg weight category and set a record. In the same competition held the following year, I went up to 110 kg in the clean and jerk and remained the record holder. In the same year (2022) I lifted 112 kg in the clean and jerk at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Albania. This is an achievement in this category,” said Dhanush while explaining his journey so far.
Dhanush, who is currently undergoing training at the Sai Training Center in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, said, “Training facilities, food and accommodation facilities are available here. But it is very difficult to meet the travel expenses to participate in the competitions.”
Dhanush’s coach Chandrasekaran, who is a two time Olympian (South Korea, Atlanta), and has won medals in two Commonwealth Weightlifting championship, was all praise for his student, “If we give him the necessary training and other facilities, there is a chance that he will participate in the Olympic Games and win a medal in the next four-five years,” he added.
Another medal for Srimathi
Cyclist J Srimathi who had been on a roll at the track cycling events continued her fine form to bag a bronze medal in the road cycling - individual (60KM) race. Alanis Cubeleo from Kerala bagged the gold medal.
TN boys volleyball into final
Tamil Nadu boys team defeated Andhra Pradesh to qualify for the final of the boys volleyball event on Saturday. The final is slated to be played against Haryana.
Silver in the 73KG weightlifting
VM Vasanth Kumar won a silver medal in the weightlifting 73KG category event. NV Mahesh from Andhra Pradesh won the gold medal.