2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallists Mirabai Chanu, Jeremy Lalrinnunga, and Achinta Sheuli will miss this year’s Asian Championships by opting to focus on the World meet instead. The World meet is a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics.
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Along with them, another five weightlifters will skip the Championships. They will fly to the USA on Tuesday for a three and half week of strength and conditioning (S&C) training camp in St.Louis.
Chanu, Jeremy and Sheuli will be accompanied by CWG medallists Sanket Sargar, Bindyarani Devi, Gurdeep Singh and former 2018 CWG champion R V Rahul and Asian Championship gold medallist Jhilli Dalabehra to St.Louis, USA for a three-and-half-week-long camp.
"We will be in USA for 23-24 days. It is the off-season so we will have a strength program there," India head coach Vijay Sharma told PTI.
Sargar, who went under the knife for the elbow injury he suffered during his event at the CWG, will go through rehab.
"All these lifters have small niggles like Gurdeep has some issue in his wrist. Sanket will go through proper rehab.
We want that everyone is perfectly fit for the World Championships," he added.
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The lifters will work with Dr Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter-turned-physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach.
Chanu has been consulting Horschig since 2020.
He has been instrumental in sorting out her imbalance issue which affected her snatch technique.
She had a month-long training stint with Horschig in March, ahead of the CWG.
"Mira currently doesn't have any issue but since we are going there she will also do some strength training," Sharma said.
The Asian Championships are scheduled to take place in Manama, Bahrain from October 6 to 16.
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India will be fielding its 'B' team, comprising junior lifters.
"The lifters who have returned from the CWG will not compete in the Asian Championships. We will be sending our B team," Sharma said.
"The focus is on the World Championship which is a qualifying event for the Paris Olympics," the head coach added.
The World Championship, scheduled to take place from December 5 to 15 in Bogota, Colombia, is the first qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
(Inputs from PTI)
