The Mizoram sports and youth services department, on August 1, said that the state government and the people were extremely proud of Jeremy Lalrinnunga who won the gold medal for India in the men’s 67 kg category in weightlifting at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG), 2022 on July 31, and that he will be felicitated in accordance with the standing procedure of the government.
Lalrinnunga (19) lifted a total of 300 kg. He lifted 140 kg in snatch and 160 kg in clean and jerk. He not only won the gold medal for India, but set a CWG record in the men’s 67 kg weightlifting final.
Lalrinnunga was born on October 26, 2002 in Aizawl, and is residing at Government Complex locality recently renamed as ‘Ainawn’ locality.
He joined the Weightlifting Academy, jointly established by the state Sports and Youth Services department and the Mizoram Weightlifting Association on September 24, 2011 at State Sports Coaching Centre (SYS) in his locality where he began his training in weightlifting technique by using bamboo poles and water pipes, where he began to learn the art from October the same year.
He continued to learn at Army Boys Institute in Pune under Army Foreign Coach Gubala of Slovakia during 2012 and 2015.
Lalrinnunga won a gold medal in 2016 at the Sub Junior National Weightlifting Championships Youth in 50 Kg category and made a new national record by lifting 90 kg in snatch and no one had broken the record till date.
After winning the Youth Olympic Gold (2018) medal, the army gave him the rank of Naik Subedar.
The Centre, as a preparation for the Olympic Games 2024 and the Commonwealth Games 2022, established Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for which Lalrinnunga was among the selected sportsmen.
The state government had awarded him an incentive cash award amounting to Rs 16.10 lakhs for his successes in weightlifting.