New Delhi:
In a creditable achievement, Indian women weightlifters won the team title in the just-concluded Asian Junior Championships at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan ahead of the powerhouses like China and Korea.
The junior women lifters had won seven medals (three silver and four bronze) to accumulate 463 points and top the standings. China collected 403 points to finish second followed by Kyrgyzstan (359), Thailand (329) and Korea (297) in the July 2-8 event.
"This is the first time that India finished on top ahead of the likes of China, Korea, Kazakhstan and Thailand. The federation is extremely proud of the weightlifters, especially the women," Indian Weightlifting Federation Secretary Sahadev Yadav said.
The junior men finished fourth in the final standings with 408 points after winning 10 medals (four silver and six bronze). Kyrgyzstan won the junior men team title with 497 points, followed by Kazakhstan (479) and Kuwait (409).
The Indian team, consisting of six men and seven women, also won the biggest ever haul of medals in this event by bagging 17 medals. The earlier best was 14 medals in the 2005 Asian Junior Championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
