Now Reading: Commonwealth Games: Ajaya Babu wins silver, betters father’s bronze
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Commonwealth Games: Ajaya Babu wins silver, betters father’s bronze
Ajaya Babu won the silver medal in the men's 79kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, finishing just 1kg behind Malaysia's Muhammad Erry Hidayat. The 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh lifted…
The Story in Brief
Ajaya Babu won the silver medal in the men's 79kg weightlifting event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, finishing just 1kg behind Malaysia's Muhammad Erry Hidayat. The 21-year-old from Andhra Pradesh lifted a Games record of 149kg in the snatch and a total of 330kg. Hidayat set Games records in clean and jerk (184kg) and total (331kg).
Ajaya's father, Valluri Srinivasa Rao, won bronze in the men's 56kg category at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Ajaya said he dedicated the medal to the Indian Weightlifting Federation, coaches and his father, but expressed disappointment at missing gold. He vowed to try for the top spot next time.
The Indian Opinion
Ajaya Babu's silver is heartening but the narrow 1kg loss to Malaysia's Hidayat reveals the fine line between podium positions. Some will spin this as Indian weightlifting's rising graph, yet the reality is that two Games records were still not enough for gold. The real test will come in four years: can he convert that 149kg snatch record into a total that leaves no doubt?
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
