20-year-old from Deulpur, West Bengal, lifts 313kg to win India’s third gold medal at the Birmingham Games. The weightlifter has established himself as one of the most talented young weightlifters in India.
Third Gold for India
Weightlifter Achinta Sheuli added to India’s remarkable show in weightlifting at the Commonwealth Games 2022 by winning a gold medal – the country’s third – in the men’s 73kg final. Achinta lifted 143 kg in a snatch and 170 kg in clean and jerk to top the field ahead of Malaysia’s Erry Hidayat Mohammad, who took the Silver medal with a total of 303 kg, while Canada’s Darsigny won Bronze with a total of 298 kg.
“I’m very happy about this, I’ve worked hard for this medal. A lot of sacrifices of my brother, mother, my coach, and the Army have gone into this medal,” Sheuli said after the win. “This was the first major event in my life and I’m thankful for them to help me reach here.
With this, Achinta Sheuli brings India the 3rd Gold medal in Commonwealth Games 2022 and the sixth one in total, all coming in from weightlifting. After the win, Achinta Sheuli credited his family for the medal and the sacrifices made by them. He also said that this was his first major event and that he is thankful for his family who helped him in reaching here.
“This medal will help me in every aspect of life. There should not be looking back from now on.” Asked to whom he would dedicate his gold medal, Sheuli said, “I wish to dedicate this medal to my late dad (who died of a heart attack), my brother, and my coach Vijay Sharma who slaps me if I do a mistake, keeps scolding me like I’m his own child.”
Know more about Achinta Sheuli, and read about his record, achievements, and other important details.
Who is Achinta Sheuli?
Hailing from a poor background, Achinta was forced to stitch and embroider to help the family after his father passes away. Achinta’s brother, Alok, who used to be a state-level weightlifter introduced him to the sport at a local gym and train his body.
With a height of 5 feet and 6 inches, Achinta soon started getting rewards at the district level but it wasn’t anything special. However, loaded with the responsibility of running the family, Alok was finding it difficult to manage his own weightlifting expenses and quit the sport.
Although his brother sacrificed the sport for the sake of the family, Achinta was encouraged to continue weightlifting. Achinta won the Silver Medal at the 2021 Junior World Weightlifting Championships and is also a Commonwealth Championships Gold Medalist.
