2018 Commonwealth Games: Sathish Kumar Sivalingam wins India’s third gold

A few months back Sivalingam was worried about his medal prospects in Commonwealth Games and even in the Asian Games later in the year.

The weightlifter from Vellore in Tamil Nadu had hurt his quads badly while lifting 184kg, his best effort ever, in the National Weightlifting Championships in Karnataka. “The injury was serious and I had to undergo rigorous rehabilitation. Because of that I could not prepare properly for Gold Coast and am actually not fully fit even now,” Sathish said.

However, he steeled himself for a tough competition and despite not having the support of a physiotherapist inside the village and warm-up hall, Sathish bagged India’s third gold medal in weightlifting competition at Commonwealth Games here with a commanding performance in the men’s 77kg. (CWG live updates)

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Having finished second in snatch section after lifting one kilogram less than England’s Jack Oliver, Sathish overcame the deficit by heaving 173kg, a good six kilograms more than the Englishman for a total of 317kg.

Though confident of his abilities after the snatch section, Sathish had to spend a few anxious moments as Oliver made an attempt at 175kg to overtake Sathish.

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“If he had lifted that, I would have had to go for 176kg and I was a bit worried how that would have impacted my injury. But he failed to lift 175 and so I did not go for 176,” said Satish after the medal ceremony. Oliver had to be satisfied with silver while Francios Eutoundi of Australia, despite struggling with an injured shoulder, took the bronze medal with a lift of 305kg.

Sathish said he felt the absence of a physio inside the warm-up area more because with his struggles with injury. “There is not much support there though the coaches are trying their best but that is not the same as a physio doing that. I felt my legs loosen a bit, the back was loose because taping was not correct but I managed to overcome,” said Sathish who dedicated his medal to his coaches and parents.

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He said he will be going into rehabilitation for the next few months before starting his preparations for the Asian Games in Indonesia. “Usually there is not a lot of time between Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. But this time there is, so I plan to use this period for proper rehabilitation. Of course, the ultimate aim is to win a medal in the Olympics in 2020” said Sathish.