Mirabai Chanu wins gold in Singapore, qualifies for CWG in new 55kg weight division
Singapore(PTI): Star Indian lifter Mirabai Chanu qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 55kg weight category on Friday by clinching the gold in the Singapore Weightlifting International here.
Competing in the 55kg weight class for the first time, Chanu lifted 191kg (86kg+105kg) to stand on top of the podium in an uncompetitive field.
The second placed lifter -- Australia's Jessica Sewastenko's best effort was 167kg (77kg+90kg), a whopping 24kg less than Chanu's.
Elly Cassandra Englebert of Malaysia finished third with a best effort of 165kg (75kg+90kg).
The other three Indian lifters competing on day one of the event -- Sanket Sagar (55kg), Rishikanta Singh (55kg) and Bindyarani Devi (59kg)-- also sealed Commonwealth Games berths.
Having pulled out of the world championships in December, this was Chanu's first competitive event since the historic Tokyo Games performance last July, when she bagged India's first silver medal in weightlifting at the Olympics.
7 months of intense training and my never ending love for the sport continues to pay off as I qualify for the @CWG2022 in the 55kg and 49kg category, Chanu said after the win.
I would like to extend my thanks to our Ministry of Youth and Affairs, Weightlifting Federation of India, SAI and all the other stakeholders who have helped me reach here, she added.
Chanu had pulled out of the world championship to work on a new snatch technique and head coach Vijay Sharma was delighted to see the progress the Manipuri has made in the section, which was once considered her weakness.
She comfortably lifted 81kg, 84kg and 86kg in her three snatch attempts here.
"We had been working on her snatch technique. And I am happy with the results, she has shown good progress in snatch these past seven months," Sharma told PTI over the phone from Singapore.
The 27-year-old Chanu has also qualified for the CWG in the 49kg weight category on the basis of her Commonwealth rankings.
However, to maximise India's chances of winning more golds at the CWG, it is expected that Chanu will compete in the new 55kg weight division.
Sagar created new Commonwealth and national records in clean and jerk and total lift on his way to gold in the men's 55kg event.
He lifted 256kg (113kg +143kg), edging out compatriot silver medallist Rishikanta, who had a best effort of 246kg (110kg+136kg).
Sri Lanka's Dilanka Isuru Kumara took home the bronze in the event as he heaved 238kg (106kg+132kg).
Commonwealth Championships silver medallist Bindyarani bagged India's third gold of the day. Bindyarani lifted 196kg (85kg+111kg) in the women's 59kg competition to win the yellow metal in the five lifter-field.
Australians Brenna Kean 190kg (82kg+108kg) and Tori Gallegos 183kg (80kg+103kg) won the silver and bronze medals respectively. Bindyarani had competed in the 55kg weight division in the Commonwealth Championships in December.
The Singapore Weightlifting International is a qualifying event for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
The top eight lifters in each weight category in the ongoing tournament will directly qualify for the 2022 CWG.
Six months of intense training and my never ending love for the sport continues to pay off as I qualify for the @CWG2022 🏋️♀️ I would like to extend my thanks to our @IndiaSports Weightlifting Federation of India @Media_SAI@OGQ_India & all the other stakeholders. 🙏#RoadToCWG22 pic.twitter.com/j7ojo14iHj
— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) February 25, 2022
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
