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Indian lifters snatch gold

It was a satisfying day for the Indian camp in the ongoing 16th Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

The day began with Jaspal Rana and Satender Kumar picking up a silver medal from the shooting ranges. And midway through the day, weightlifters Dharmarajan Wilson and Arumugam Pandian added two gold and three silver.

India never had it so good in the first week of the Games. More medals in weightlifting, hockey and badminton are expected and India may go back with a record number of medals this time.

The day belonged to the Indian weightlifters. The last to have checked into the Games village, Indian lifters rose to the occasion. It was an emotional moment for the Indian lifters when the strains of the Indian national anthem reverberated in the hall. The expatriate Indians gave a standing ovation to Wilson and Pandian, who had kept their heads held high.

In the 56-kg category, Pandian was on top with the overall total of 245 kg. The icing on the cake was the Games record, which he bettered by five kilos.

Pandian also won a silver each in clean and jerk, and snatch, with a lift of 137.5 kg and 107.5 kg.

Wilson, however, was unlucky in that he fumbled in the snatch and could lift only 102.5.kg, ending up being sixth in the event.

Former Indian heavyweight champion Balbir Singh, here as an IOA observer, said ``If India had raised its voice for the inclusion of women's weightlifting events in the Commonwealth Games, we could have won some more medals.''