Lifters Taradevi Pun and Pukar Gurung set new national records during the first Inter-club National Weightlifting Championships on Thursday.

Competed in the women’s 75kg division, the Nepal Police Club (NPC) athlete Pun lifted 68kg in snatch and 96kg in clean and jerk for a total of 164kg. She bettered her own mark of 67kg in snatch, 95kg in clean and jerk set during first Open Weightlifting Championships in Birgunj four years earlier. Usha Khadka of Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) won silver with a total lift of 139kg while her teammate Man Kumari Kumal claimed bronze with a total lift 130kg. 

In the men’s above-105kg division, TAC’s Pukar Gurung bettered his own national record in snatch. He snatched 127kg to improve on his previous best lift by one kilogram which he had set during the NFJR Invitation Weightlifting Cup in Iran last year. He lifted 140kg in clean and jerked for total haul of 276kg. Rajiv Maharjan of Bhrikuti Tole Sudhar Youth Club secured silver with a total lift of 208kg and Subhas Upadhayaya of Deep Jyoti Club earned bronze with a total haul of 197kg. 

Army lifter Manita Shrestha clinched gold medal in the women’s 63kg division while her teammate Sarada Chaudhary took silver. Shrestha lifted 136kg and Chaudhary had a total haul of 130kg. In the 69kg category, Rajya Laxmi Thapa of NPC bagged gold and here teammate Janaki Budha won silver. Thapa lifted 150kg in total while Budha had a total haul of 116kg. 

The women’s junior 69kg division, Puja Kumal of Chitwan Physical Fitness grabbed gold with a total lift of 70kg. Laxmi Ban of NPC won the women’s 90kg division gold with a total lift of 149kg while Jyoti Chaudhary of Dhangadhi Youth Club took silver with a total lift of 100kg. Bidhya Rai of Nepal Byayam Mandir lifted a total of 80kg to claim the gold medal in junior women’s 90kg division. 

South Asian Games (SAG) gold medallist Kamal Bahadur Adhikari of the Army club claimed the men’s 69kg title. He lifted 275kg in total to condemn Mahesh Chaudhary (199kg) to silver. Jeevan Tamang of Army won bronze with total lift of 172kg. In the junior 69kg division, Prakash KC lifted 225kg in total to secure gold and Niraj Gupta of Birgunj United bagged silver with a total lift of 115kg. 

Bikash Thapa of NPC won the men’s 77kg division gold with a total lift of 247kg. His teammates Prakash Baishya won silver with a lift of 219kg and Yagya Bahadur Saru collected bronze with a lift of 213kg. Suresh Baishya of Fitness and Order won the junior 77kg division gold with a total lift of 176kg. 

Armyman Surendra Shrestha won the men’s 85kg gold with a total lift of 226kg while Bishal Singh of Deep Jyoti won junior’s gold with a total lift of 217kg. Gagan Chand of NPC clinched the men’s 94kg gold with a total lift of 221kg while Jayadeep Koju bagged the junior men’s gold with 184kg lift in total. Sandesh Gurung of NPC took the men’s 105kg gold with a total lift of 248kg and Sagar Bhandari of Deep Jyoti Club claimed junior gold medal in the same weight division with a total lift of 203kg. 

Taradevi Pun was crowned with the strongest women and Pukar Gurung the strongest men’s title. Sanju Chaudhary was named the best lifter in the junior women’s category while Devi Kumari Chaudhary awarded the best lifter in senior women’s category. 

Kamal Bahadur Adhikari was named the best lifter in senior men’s category while Prakash KC was honoured with the best junior lifter. Ram Kumar Yadav and Karina Chaudhary were awarded with the emerging players honour.