World Para Powerlifting C’ships: Parmjeet wins historic, maiden gold at senior level in Dubai

Two years after winning a historic bronze medal, Parmjeet Kumar made more history becoming the first Indian to win a gold at the Senior level in the World Para Powerlifting Championships

DUBAI —  Two years after winning a historic bronze medal, Parmjeet Kumar made more history on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian to win a gold at the Senior level in the World Para Powerlifting Championships, emerging victorious in the men’s 49kg Total event in the 2023 event in Dubai.

Parmjeet’s historic milestone, which also meant his elevation from bronze to gold at the World Championships, came a day after Honey Dabas clinched the first-ever gold at the Junior level for India at the Hilton Dubai, Al Habtoor City.

Demonstrating strength and determination, the 31-year-old Parmjeet Singh from Punjab successfully lifted weights of 150 kg, 155 kg, and 157 kg, achieving a total of 462 kg, which was enough to outshine his Colombian competitor, Morales Gonzalez, who secured the silver medal with a total lift of 444 kg.

Expressing his happiness on achieving this historic feat, Paramjeet said the medal was the result of several years of hard work.

“I am very happy to get the gold in the Total category. Due to a recent injury in my shoulder, I didn’t go for higher weights but was happy to have all three clear lifts. This is a big motivation as we look ahead to the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” he was quoted as saying by the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) in a release on Wednesday.

After Wednesday’s performance, Parmjeet is in sixth place in the Paris 2024 Qualification rankings. The top eight players in the rankings until June 2024 qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

J.P. Singh, the chief coach, attributed the team’s success to their collaborative efforts, highlighting the significance of teamwork in achieving these remarkable medal wins.

The individual gold medal was won by reigning Asian Para Games champion Le Van Cong from Vietnam lifting 176kg, just one kg more than the Paralympic champion from Jordan, Omar Qarada (175).

More than 500 powerlifters from 80 nations are competing in the World Championships, which are being held for the third time in the Emirate city of Dubai.

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