KIYG 2025: Bihar, J&K bag first weightlifting medals; 13 national records set in 5-day event

At the Rajgir Sports Complex, Satwik Luthra of J&K lifted 263kg to claim silver, and Ujjwal Singh of Bihar grabbed the bronze by lifting a total of 241kg. The gold went to Sunny Bhati of Haryana, who completed a 151kg lift in a clean & jerk to comfortably get past his J&K rival.

The five-day weightlifting competition concluded on Wednesday. The first four days saw a flurry of records, but there were none on the final day. IN all, 13 national youth records have been set this time.

Maharashtra accounted for five of them, three by Uttar Pradesh, Odisha two, and one each by Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Haryana. In the Khelo India Youth Games in Tamil Nadu, eight national youth records were created.

J&K's Luthra kept his cool and almost clinched the gold. If his third and final attempt of 151kg in clean & jerk had been cleared, it would have put pressure on Bhati. Luthra overcame the wrist injury he sustained two months prior to the Indian Weightlifting Federation National Championships this January to compete at his second Khelo India Youth Games.

"Many things were going on in my mind, with things happening across the border. But my coach, Aakash Virdhy, gave me only one lesson, and that was to concentrate on one lift at a time. I am very happy to have clinched the silver medal. My coach always motivated me, and I came this far only because of his guidance. I began lifting three years ago, and my father only nudged me to try it. Previously, I also had a silver medal at the National Championships," Luthra told SAI Media.

Ujjwal Singh, who hails from the Jehanabad district of Bihar, trains at the Sports Authority of India's Khelo India Centre in his hometown. Around 50 children from the cadet class (under-12) to senior lifters (Age 21 & above) train there.

"I was a bit nervous at the start, but then my brother offered me tips to calm myself down and focus on just giving my best. And that has clicked. This is my first medal in Khelo India and on any platform like this. I began training at the SAI Khelo India centre in Jehandabad last year, and it is very heartening that I became the first individual from Bihar to clinch a weightlifting medal," Singh told SAI Media.

Son of a retired armyman Amarnath Singh, he aspired to go for the selection trials for the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, this August.

"This medal has given me a lot of confidence. I now intend to keep working hard and try to get selected for the Commonwealth Championships later this year. The support from SAI has been immense as I receive the best quality equipment for training, good coaches and physios for recovery from injuries. I am yet to get the monthly scholarship, hopefully this performance will attract the talent scouts," he added.

Kerala's Amrutha P. Suni lifted 79kg in snatch and 102kg in clean & jerk to take the youth girls +81kg gold. Karnati Naga Ramalakshmi of Andhra Pradesh took the silver with a total lift of 176kg (75+101). Punjab's Gagandeep Kaur grabbed the bronze by lifting 167kg in total.

Amrutha, who trains at NCOE Lucknow, got interested in weightlifting through her father, who was also a national-level lifter. He works as an engineering supervisor. Despite being good at studies, her father wanted her to fulfil his dream of representing India in international competitions.

"I am delighted to win the gold medal, as I was under much tension thinking there would be a neck-to-neck battle today. When I am on the stage, only one thing is on my mind, and that is to complete the task, give my best. My ultimate target is to represent India in the Olympics. I know I will have to do a lot of hard work for this - I will have to start with winning medals at the Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. But I am ready for it," Amrutha told SAI Media.

"Being part of NCOE Lucknow, I receive a lot of benefits from getting top-quality coaches, sports science experts, to nutritionists. Our diet and injuries are monitored very carefully, and masseurs, physios are always present to help and guide us. This is what an athlete needs," she added.