Satish, Lakshmi set new national marks

BANGALORE, June 6: International Satish Rai did hosts Karnataka proud when he shattered six records (including one National record in snatch) and walked away with the gold in the men’s 83 kg category in the weightlifting competitions at Guru Nanak Bhawan today.

Earlier, another international, Neelamshetty Lakshmi, exhibited her supremacy in no uncertain terms to bag the gold in the women’s 70 kg class. The Andhra Pradesh woman, in the process, bettered Jeevan Jyoti’s National record when she successfully lifted 91 kg in her second lift. The earlier record stood at 90.5 kg. She also set a new Games record in all the three sections.

In the men’s competition, barring Satish, no other participant could rise to the occasion. As many as eight of the total of 16 competitors were eliminated, three of them at the snatch level itself.

It appeared Satish himself was not fully fit. Yet, it goes to his credit that every time he came for a lift in snatch, he erased the Games record and in the final attempt, the immaculate lifter, with a heave of 143 kg, eclipsed veteran Paramjit Sharma’s National snatch record by half-a-kilo.Satish’s combined total stood at 313 kg (143+170), a new Games record. Second placed Umesh Singh (Madhya Pradesh) had a total of 270 kg (120+150).