IWF World Cup 2024: Bindyarani Sorokhaibam clinches bronze in women's 55kg category
Asian Championships silver medallist weightlifter Bindyarani Devi made a strong comeback after starting on a disappointing note in the snatch to secure the bronze medal in the women’s 55 kg category at the IWF World Cup 2024 in Thailand on Tuesday.
The Manipur-born weightlifter accumulated a total lift of 196 kg (83 kg snatch and 113kg clean and jerk) to claim the third position in the final standings.
Notably, she started with a drop in her first snatch attempt of 83 kg. However, she successfully lifted the weight in the second attempt before dropping her next one of 86 kg.
North Korea’s Hyon Gyong Kang lifted a total of 234kg to clinch the gold medal while Romania’s Mihaela Cambei lifted 201kg to bag the silver medal.
Furthermore, Bindyarani secured the silver medal in the clean and jerk section for her 113kg lift. It’s important to note that medals are awarded separately for snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift in continental, World Cups, and World Championships.
Bindyarani Devi ranked 29th in OQR; out of Paris contention
Though she grabbed the medal in the final Olympic qualifying event, she was out of contention by then for the Paris Olympics 2024. Notably, the top 10 lifters in each weight class will qualify for the quadrennial event and Bindyarani is currently ranked 29th in the 59kg Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR).
The 25-year-old weightlifter moved up to the 59kg category that features in the Paris Olympics 2024 and competed in the World Championships 2022 in that particular category, finishing 25th. However, she switched back to her old 55kg category, securing a silver medal in the Asian Championships 2023.
Earlier in the IWF World Cup 2024 tournament, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, who made a comeback after her six-month injury layoff, had finished 12th in women’s 49kg with a total lift of 184 kg category.
The IWF World Cup in Thailand is a qualification event for the Paris Olympics 2024. Though Mirabai has already made it to the mega event in Paris, Bindyarani’s 55kg weight class isn’t part of the Olympic category.