Gandhinagar, May 18 (IANS) India secured third place in the women’s team standings and fifth in the men’s team standings at the Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships 2026, which concluded on Sunday at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, after six days of competition featuring leading weightlifters from across Asia.

The championship, organised by the Indian Weightlifting Federation, took place from May 11 to 17 and featured 172 athletes from 30 nations, comprising 97 men and 75 women.

The competition featured eight women’s and seven men’s bodyweight categories, with participation from more than 20 countries in the women’s section and over 15 in the men’s.

China topped both the women’s and men’s team standings. In the women’s category, China finished first with 578 points, followed by Chinese Taipei with 491 points, and India placed third with 487 points. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Korea completed the top six.

In the men’s team standings, China led with 593 points, followed by DPR Korea on 478 and Uzbekistan on 409.

Chinese Taipei finished fourth with 392 points, India fifth with 379, and Turkmenistan sixth with 344.

In the overall medal tally, China dominated with 21 gold, 12 silver and 8 bronze medals, followed by DPR Korea with 18 gold, 11 silver and 1 bronze.

Chinese Taipei finished with 3 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze medals. Bahrain, Iran, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Qatar, South Korea, India, Turkmenistan, Japan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines also featured in the medal standings.

India finished with a total of 10 medals, comprising one silver and nine bronze. The championship saw a strong number of record-breaking performances, with 27 Asian records and 25 world records set, according to the official results.

Individual honours went to Ri Suk of DPR Korea, named the women’s best lifter with 1013.191 ROBI points in the 63kg category, and HE Yueji of China, named the men’s best lifter with 1052.189 ROBI points in the 65kg category.

The final day of competition featured the women’s 86+ kg category, followed by the closing ceremony, which was attended by officials of the Asian Weightlifting Federation, international delegates, athletes, coaches and sports administrators.

Ashwani Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, said the event demonstrated a high level of competition and strong participation.

“The successful hosting of the Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships 2026 in Gandhinagar marks a proud moment for Indian weightlifting and Indian sport. The championship showcased exceptional standards, several world and Asian records and remarkable participation from the continent’s finest athletes,” he said.

“We are grateful to the international technical officials, volunteers and the state government for their tremendous support in making this championship a grand success. India’s athletes also displayed tremendous fighting spirit and delivered commendable performances on home soil,” he added.

— IANS

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