Want Jeremy to qualify and gain experience at Tokyo Oly: Coach

National weightlifting head coach Vijay Sharma expects Youth Olympic champion Jeremy Lalrinnunga to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics which will be a springboard for the teenager to become a medal prospect for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Jeremy bettered his clean and jerk record to clinch the men's 67 kg title in the 72nd men's and 35th womens' Senior National Weightlifting Championships here on Monday.

The 17-year-old Mizoram lifter, who became the first Indian to win a gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018, lifted 132 kg after two botched attempts but he was at his best in clean and jerk to lift 167 kg en route to a total of 299 kg.

"He's working on snatch. There are some drawbacks in snatch and he's working on it," said Sharma on Tuesday.

"Our target is to qualify and gain experience so that he can be a medal hopeful in 2024 Olympics," the coach said.

Jeremy presently sits at the 19th position in the Olympic qualifiers ranking and made headlines as he clinched a silver medal in men's 67 kg weightlifting category at the 6th International Qatar Cup with a total lift of 306 kg, his personal best, that broke 27 records in total.

He clinched the first silver at the EGAT's Cup International Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Asked about Chinese supremacy, Sharma said: "They have been putting up 210-plus for last four years. But we have gradually improved from 194

and reached 203.

"We have planned our journey as per our limits. We don't want to rush things, keeping injuries in mind. But I'm strongly hopeful we can make it," he said.

Mirabhai Chanu lifted a total of 203 kg in the 49 kg category to win the 49 kg gold here. The 25-year-old Manipuri lifted 88 kg in snatch in her second attempt and 115 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 203 kg.

The effort put her in fourth place in world rankings behind Chinese Jiang Huihua (212 kg) and Hou Zhihui (211 kg) and Korean Ri Song Gum (209 kg).

( With inputs from IANS )