Finance
Parmjeet Kumar made additional history on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian to earn a gold medal at the Senior level in the World Para Powerlifting Championships, winning the men’s 49kg Total category in the 2023 tournament in Dubai, two years after capturing a historic bronze medal.
Parmjeet’s historic achievement, which also elevated him from bronze to gold in the World Championships, came a day after Honey Dabas won India’s first-ever gold medal at the Junior level at the Hilton Dubai, Al Habtoor City.
Parmjeet Singh, 31, of Punjab, shown strength and commitment by successfully lifting weights of 150 kg, 155 kg, and 157 kg, achieving a total of 462 kg, which was enough to outperform his Colombian counterpart, Morales Gonzalez, who secured the silver medal with a total lift of 444 kg.
Expressing his happiness on achieving this historic feat, Paramjeet said the medal was the result of several years of hard work.
“I am very happy to get the gold in the Total category. Due to a recent injury in my shoulder, I didn’t go for higher weights but was happy to have all three clear lifts. This is a big motivation as we look ahead to the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” he was quoted as saying by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in a release on Wednesday.
Following his performance on Wednesday, Parmjeet is ranked sixth in the Paris 2024 Qualification rankings. The top eight players in the rankings till June 2024 are eligible to compete in the Paris Paralympic Games.
The chief coach, J.P. Singh, attributed the team’s achievement to their combined efforts, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in obtaining these exceptional medal wins.
Individual gold was won by incumbent Asian Para Games champion Le Van Cong of Vietnam, who lifted 176kg, barely one kg more than Jordan’s Paralympic winner, Omar Qarada (175).
More than 500 powerlifters from 80 countries are competing in the World Championships, which are being hosted in Dubai for the third time.
Source:IANS
