"Mallu" lifts gloom with silver

Four days and no medals was the topic of all discussions as Malleshwari arrived for 63 kg finals. Malleshwari came through with a fine silver — fine because itwas a tough and open field and the Indian came close to the gold as the Chinese lifter Lei Li won a psychological battle. When Malleshwari finished with her event and the coach hugged her and congratulated it was more out of relief than elation. The whole weightlifting contingent it seemed had been living under severe strain after the earlier failures. Unlike in the past, it seemed many of the Indian Olympic Association officials were not present, as if fearing another failure.

Both Malleshwari and her coach Pal Singh Sandhu were candid enough to admit, “There was tremendous pressure, first because of the failure of our earlier lifters and then because of the fact India still had not won any medal.” But before the day was out, India had earned another medal, a bronze in the three-day event in equestrian sports.

“I had a back strain for sometime and I had not won any medal at the last World Championships Chiang Mai, so I wanted to make sure I got a medal,” said Malleshwari, who improved her best insnatch from 102.5 to 105.0 kg. In clean and jerk she equalled her best of 125.0 kg and in a bold bid for the gold, she called for 132.5 kg, but failed. If she had cleared she may well have got the gold as the Chinese girl later failed at the same weight.

It was a tough battle for the weightlifting squad. It was a question of salvaging some pride through Malleshwari. So she opened with 100.0 kg in snatch and with two more good lifts went up to 105.0 kg. In less mentally strenuous conditions she could have opened with 102.5 kg and then gone up. In comparison the Chinese, Lei opened with 102.5 kg and finished with 107.5 kg. That 2.5 kg lead carried her through to the gold. In the event of a tie, Malleshwari by virtue of lighter bodyweight would have won the gold.

Malleshwari and Sandhu were wary of the Chinese Taipei girl, Chen Jui Lien and Mya Sanda-Do of Myanmar. But Malleshwari established a handy lead in snatch which would have ensured a silver for her with a good 7.5 kg lead over the third-placed Chenin snatch.

In clean and jerk, the Chinese were also cautious about Malleshwari. While the Indian opened at 120.0 kg — “basically to make sure of the medal and avoid any surprising failures,” said Sandhu — and then as Lei failed first time at 125.0 kg, Malleshwari made a good lift. Lei’s successful attempt was a world record and Malleshwari had equalled it. Then began the psychological battle. With Malleshwari’s draw number ahead of the Chinese, her call was first. After asking for 127.5 kg, Malleshwari had no option to ask for 130.0 kg to ensure she would get a chance to try and lift 2.5 kg more than the Chinese to make up for the deficit incurred in snatch. But Lei also asked for 130 and then when Malleshwari asked for the bar to be raised to 132.5 kg — 7.5 kg better than her life best — the Chinese did the same.

“The weight as it is was a lot and we can only raise the bar twice at each attempt, so I asked Mallu to go for it,” said Sandhu. She managed to to it the bar to her shoulder but failedto hoist it amidst big groans from the crowd which wanted at least one non-Chinese winner. Lei also failed but won on the total of 232.5 kg, which was a new world record, while Malleshwari totalled 230.0 kg, equal to the previous world record.

“I am happy that I was able to get a medal, though I wanted the gold badly,” said Malleshwari, who had won a silver in 54 kg four years ago. “In the past Kunja Didi had won the first medals for India in Asian Games. Now I am proud to have done the same, though I wish she had already won earlier.”