Yadav, Bhandari declared emerging national weight lifters

Sarita Yadav and Ashok Singh Bhandari have won gold in the Dev Sundar Memorial First National Weightlifting Competition. Both of them have been declared as emerging talent athletes. 

In snatch event under the 59-kg category, junior (women) Yadav, 16, from Saptari lifted 50 kg and 60 kg in clean and jerk, totaling 110 kg. Likewise, in the same category, Lalita Hemran of Bardiya won silver medal by lifting 40 kg in snatch and 50 in clean and jerk, 90 kg in total. 

In 67 kg category (men), Bhandari, 19, from Kanchanpur lifted 67 kg in snatch and 102 in clean and jerk, totaling 178 kg. 

In the same category, Tushar Budhamagar from Banke bagged silver medal by lifting 67 kg in snatch and 90 kg in clean and jerk, 157 kg in total. Niraj Kumar Gupta from Parsa won bronze medal by lifting 70 kg in snatch and 80 kg in clean and jerk, totaling 150 kg. 

Likewise, in senior category (women and men), Tara Devi Pun and Subas Upadhyay won gold in the competition. Both of them were declared strongest athletes. 

In 87 kg category, Pun from the Nepal Police clinched gold medal by lifting 67 kg in snatch and 90 kg in clean and jerk, totaling 157 kg. Likewise, in 109 kg group, Upadhyay from Kanchanpur lifted 114 kg in snatch and 135 in clean and jerk, 249 kg in total. 

In the same group, Aasif Hussein from Bara won silver medal by lifting 107 in snatch and 120 in clean and jerk, 227 kg in total. Likewise, Roshan BC from Bardiya bagged bronze medal by lifting 70 kg in snatch and 105 in clean and jerk, totaling 175 kg. 

In 102 kg category, junior (men), Sagar Bhandari from the Nepal Police won gold by lifting the total 222 kg. Similarly, Rana Bahadur Nagarkoti from the Armed Police Force (APF) bagged silver medal by lifting a total of 216 kg and Bikash Khadka from the Nepali Army bronze by lifting the total 205 kg. In above 109 kg, senior (men), Rajesh Maharjan from Nepal Police won gold by lifting 107 kg in snatch and 115 kg in clean and jerk, 222 kg in total. 

The tournament held in Rajbiraj was attended by the total 120 athletes from 20 districts across the country and three departmental teams of the Army, the Nepal Police and the APF.