Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 10 2010:
Manipur expectedly made top podium finishes with both the men and women wresting the team championship titles of the 75th men and 19th women's Eastern india Weightlifting Championship that concluded at GM Hall today.
The men's team culled a total of 207 points compared to 164 by their closest rivals west Bengal as the hosts' women topped the competition on 190 points, 26 points better than Mizoram.
Individual honours were also collected by the State lifters with Th Oken, who competed in the 62 kg category adjudged the best male lifter and Ng meena Devi (53 kg) claiming the honour in the women's section.
On the last day of the championship, Ibemchoubi Devi representing Meghalaya won the women's 75 kg gold with a total lift of 178 kgs, one kilogram more than Jharkhand representative Y Omika Devi.
The bronze went to Jogmay Mallick of West bengal (150 kg).
In the above 75 kg event, Lalchhandami of Mizoram heaved 163 kgs to clinch the gold medal with the silver bagged by Jharkhand's Sonia Prabha (150 kgs) and Sraboni Das of West Bengal finished third (102 kgs).
Golden Thanga tallied 215 kgs to provide Mizoram's second yellow metal of the day with triumph in the 105 kg class where Rakesh Pandey of Jharkhand finished second on 150 kgs and Santanu Sutradar secured a bronze for Tripura (136 kgs).
Subrata Bhattacharji of West Bengal bagged the last gold medal on offer with a total lift of 215 kgs in the above 105 kg event.
K Lalimawai of Mizoram (195 kgs) and Nagaland's Ashatomba (190 kgs) secured the silver and bronze medals respectively.
The closing was held with Education Minister L Jayantakumar Singh and Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board Bijoy Koijam as the chef guest and president respectively.
Moirang AC MLA M Prithiviraj Singh and president of Eastern india Weightlifting Association M Lokendra Singh also graced the occasion as the guest of honour.