2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga will be putting on an additional six kilograms of weight in order to be eligible to compete against Achinta Sheuli for the lone spot in the 73kg weight category at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sheuli who also won the gold medal at the recently concluded quadrennial event already competes in the 73kg weight category while Lalrinnunag competes in the 67kg category.
It’s worth mentioning that the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has scrapped the 67kg category from the Paris Games and that is the reason Jeremy will have to upgrade to the 73kg weight category. But as India already has representation in the weight division in Sheuli, who is the national record holder and reigning CWG champion in the 73kg division and there is only one spot, the two weightlifters will have to compete against each other to feature at the Games.
"I will increase my weight to 73kg," Jeremy, who is in the US for a three-and-half-week strength and conditioning training camp in St. Louis told PTI. "My natural weight is 65kg. So, going up will be difficult to increase my body weight," he added.
My body weight has not been increasing: Jeremy Lalrinnunga
This is not the first time 19-year-old Jeremy Lalrinnunga will be putting on weight The 19-year-old lifter had won the 2018 Youth Olympics gold medal in Buenos Aires in the 62kg category. He had then moved to 67kg to comply with the new Olympic weight categories the IWF had introduced then. However, the Mizoram lifter conceded that he has struggled to gain weight in the last two years.
"My body weight has not been increasing. I am trying to increase it since 2019 to get till 70kg. My diet plan and supplements will change. Training will also be a bit different. The percentage will change. Asian Games and World Championship have 67kg but the aim is Paris Olympics," he added.
