New Delhi [India], December 4 : Five Indian weightlifters will be representing the country at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Grand Prix II Weightlifting competition starting from Monday in Doha, Qatar.
The event is a qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics and will conclude on December 14, as per Olympics.com.
The competitions will be held in ten different weight categories for men: 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 89kg, 96kg, 102kg, 109kg and +109kg and women: 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 71kg, 76kg, 81kg, 87kg and +87kg.
India will be sending a total of five lifters, including two women. National-level champion Ajith Narayan and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Achinta Sheuli will be in the men's 73 kg.
Indian lifter Mirabai Chanu, a Tokyo Olympics 2020 silver medalist and 2017 World Champion will be attending the event for a weigh-in but would not lift as she is recovering from an injury sustained during the Asian Games in Hangzhou back in October, where she finished fourth.
Chanu had done it in World Weightlifting Championships 2023 earlier this year. As per the rules, lifters have to attend the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup to stay eligible for qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A lifter has to participate in at least three of the following events barring the two compulsory tournaments- the 2022 World Championships, the 2023 Continental Championships, the 2023 Grand Prix 1, the 2023 Grand Prix II and the 2024 Continental Championships.
The IWF Grand Prix II is one of the qualifying events for the 2024 Olympics and the performances of Olympic weight-class lifers will be rewarded in the form of OQR (Olympic Qualification Ranking) points.
These points will be based on the best total results (snatch + clean and jerk) the athletes manage to lift in qualifying competitions. The top 10 athletes based on OQR, which will have one highest-ranked athlete per country from each weight category, will get Olympic quotas for their nations after the qualification cycle ends in April 2024.
Bindyarani Devi, a Commonwealth Games silver medallist, will play in non-Olympic women's 55kg weight division. CWG bronze medalist Gurdeep Singh will also be in action in the +109kg - another non-Olympic weight division.
-IWF Grand Prix II Weightlifting 2023: India team
*Mirabai Chanu - women's 49kg (Group C)
*Bindyrani Devi - women's 55kg (Group A)
*Achinta Sheuli - men's 73kg (Group B)
*Ajith Narayan - men's 73kg (Group C)
*Gurdeep Singh - men's +109kg (Group B)
IWF Grand Prix II Weightlifting 2023: Schedule and live start times for Indian lifters
As per Indian Standard Times (IST)
December 4, Monday
Women's 49kg (Group C) - 4:00 PM
Women's 49kg (Group B) - 6:00 PM
December 5, Tuesday
Women's 49kg (Group A) - 8:30 PM
**December 6, Wednesday
Men's 73kg (Group C) - 3:30 PM
Women's 55kg (Group A) - 5:30 PM
**December 7, Thursday
Men's 73kg (Group B) - 3:00 PM
Men's 73kg (Group A) - 8:30 PM
**December 14, Thursday
Men's +109kg (Group B) - 1:00 PM
Men's +109kg (Group A) - 6:30 PM.
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