Poonam Nath

National Games 2025: Manipur lifters win two medals; Bindyarani Devi clinches gold

Digital Desk: Manipur's star weightlifter, S Bindyarani Devi, made history by setting a national record in the snatch while claiming gold in the women's 55kg category at the ongoing National Games on Friday.

Bindyarani, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, faced a setback on her first attempt at 83 kg in the snatch but displayed impressive resilience. In her final attempt, she lifted 88 kg, breaking the national record previously held by Mirabai Chanu, who had set it at 86 kg.

Bindyarani continued her dominance in the clean and jerk, where she successfully lifted 107 kg in her first attempt. Though she missed 112 kg on her second attempt, she bounced back with a 113 kg lift in her final attempt. Her total lift of 201 kg was just 1 kg short of her own national record of 202 kg.

With this victory, Bindyarani now holds all three national records in the women’s 55kg category—snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift. "I was well prepared, and I am happy with my performance. It is always nice to get a record in your name. It's good that now both snatch and clean & jerk records are in my name," she said.

In addition to Bindyarani’s victory, Manipur’s L. Nilam Devi secured the bronze medal. Despite early struggles in the snatch, where she failed at 80 kg and 81 kg, Nilam lifted 81 kg in her final attempt. She showed strength in the clean and jerk, lifting 98 kg and 101 kg in her first two attempts, before narrowly missing 104 kg on her last attempt.

Sharabani Das from Bengal claimed the silver medal, lifting 78 kg and 81 kg in the snatch and excelling in the clean and jerk with lifts of 102 kg and 106 kg, before opting not to attempt her final lift.