Ditimoni Sonowal: India's Last Hope at IWF Championships

Ditimoni Sonowal represents India's final chance for a medal at the IWF World Championships as she competes in the women's 64kg category. Earlier, Bindyarani Devi secured a ninth-place finish in the 55kg event, lifting 195kg in total, as Gyaneshwari Yadav ended fifth in the 49kg category.

India's prospects at the ongoing International Weightlifting Federation World Championships now rest solely on the shoulders of Ditimoni Sonowal, who is set to compete in Group C of the women's 64kg event on Tuesday. With previous Indian competitors concluding their attempts without podium finishes, the nation's hopes for a medal hinge on her performance.

Bindyarani Devi, the Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medalist, ended her participation in the women's 55 kg category with a ninth-place standing, lifting a cumulative 195 kg at the championships held in Mahama, Bahrain. Devi, 25, succeeded in lifting 85 kg in snatch and 110 kg in clean and jerk, though she fell 7 kg short of her personal best achieved in Birmingham.

Devi initially showed strength in the clean and jerk with a successful 110 kg lift but was unable to surpass her attempts at 114 kg and 116 kg. This performance placed her second in her group and ninth overall. Meanwhile, North Korea's Kang Hyon-gyong secured the gold with a total lift of 226 kg, followed by Chen Guan-ling from Chinese Taipei and Armenia's Aleksandra Grigoryan. Gyaneshwari Yadav finished in fifth place in the women's 49 kg division, replacing Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu.

(With inputs from agencies.)