CWG 2018: Weightlifter Satish Kumar Sivalingam brings gold third time and makes India proud

Giving a brilliant start for India, Weightlifter Sathish Kumar Sivalingam won the gold in men’s 77 kg at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia on Day 3. He won the gold medal in the men’s 77kg weightlifting category. With the Sivalingam’s gold medal, this is India’s third gold and fifth medal overall at the 2018 Games and all have been bagged by weightlifters.

In 2014 commonwealth Games at Glasgow in Scotland, 25-year-old had won the gold medal. He repeated the feat by defeating a stiff challenge from England’s Jack Oliver. On Saturday, Oliver won the silver.

After finishing with a combined score (snatch, clean and jerk) of 317, Sivlingam was crowned the Commonwealth Games 2018 champion. Australian showman Facois Etoundi, who lifted 305kg (136kg+169kg, won the bronze medal. After his final lift, Etoundi injured his shoulder.

“And then the Golden mornings continue to shine bright for India at the @GC2018 #CommonwealthGames!@sathy732 lifts  #Gold 🥇worth of 317kgs at the #GC2018 #GC2018Weightlifting Men's 77kg Event to win #TeamIndia its 3rd Gold....all from #Weightlifting! #WellDone @WeightliftingIN,” Team India tweeted.

Sivalingam took lead in the starting with successful lifting 136kg in snatch that straigtaway. But England’s Oliver set his first snatch weight at 141 kg. In his first attempt, he leapfrogged the Indian into top.

In his second attempt, the Indian weightlifter added extra four kgs to his weight and successfully lifted 140kg to strengthen his second spot. Even in the second attempt, the Englishman was ahead of the Indian with a successful lift of 145kg.

In the last attempt, the English weightlifter settled on 171 while Sivalingam lifted 173.