Youth Olympic champion weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga says missing the Tokyo Olympics last year has made him realize that the transition from junior to senior level is not easy as he aims to win the coveted gold medal at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.
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After a difficult year in which he suffered two injuries and contracted the dreaded COVID-19 virus, Jeremy has rejuvenated all and is doing all he can to succeed at the senior level, starting with the multi-sport event in Birmingham. ready for.
“This is my first Commonwealth Games and I am feeling great. This is going to be the biggest event for me after the Youth Olympics after four years because I missed the Olympics.
Jeremy came to the fore in 2018 when he became the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. The Mizoram lifter was known as one for the future in the sport, but while he managed to break the youth world record, Jeremy’s senior level performance left much to be desired.
“I understood that I would have to work harder because the total I was lifting was not good enough. It also made me realize how tough the Olympics is from junior to senior,” he said.
The past one year has been tough for the 19-year-old. He scored a disappointing eight in the Asian Championships. It was later found that there was some problem with his knee, which also affected his performance in juniors. World Championship.
“I had a problem with my tendon in my knee. Water flooded behind my knee. I had to have surgery for that,” Jeremy said.
His lower-level Asian Championships also earned him a place in the Olympic Games. His misfortune continued a few weeks before the World Championships, he suffered severe back pain. However, he managed to finish fourth.
“There was a problem near my spine, near the upper back, but then I competed in the world championships as well,” he said.
To make matters worse, the teenager contracted COVID-19 late last year.
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“I got COVID-19 on December 31. I had sore throat and fever. After that my body weight came down to 63-62 kg, it was a difficult time. I struggled to recover. I was in quarantine alone for 15 days, Jovial Lifter said. Time away from training helped him to reset, reflect on his training, and assess his goals. I got time to think and now I want to do well in Commonwealth Games. I will definitely try to go beyond my personal best,” Jeremy said.
Talha Talib was to be Jeremy’s biggest rival for the CWG title, but the Pakistani weightlifter will miss out on the CWG as he faces doping sanctions.
“Yeah, it’s good for me. But it’s unfortunate that he was involved in doping. I feel sorry for him, four years have gone by now. He shouldn’t have done that,” he said.
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