Commonwealth Championships: Tokyo Olympic champion Charron on her way to Glasgow after comeback win – but unsure about LA 2028
Five female Olympians, including the Tokyo 2020 champion Maude Charron from Canada, were among the winners at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, India. India won 16 medals in the seniors, and dominated the junior and youth championships too. Other nations with cause to celebrate included Nigeria, Samoa and Australia. All the winners qualified direct to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. That has long been a target for Charron, who won a silver medal in Paris to add to her Tokyo gold – but beyond that she is not sure. Maude Charron (CAN) “I went through many questions about my future in sport after Paris,” Charron said. “I didn’t know if I had another quad in me and I still don’t know if I do. I’m 32 years old now and I feel it. My body hurts and it’s taking longer to recover between trainings. “I did some gymnastics after Paris, some mountain biking and rock climbing. I wanted to do the things I couldn’t do for the four years before Paris when I couldn’t really risk any injury. “I took a month off and after that it was not easy to stay motivated. It’s still not easy. I felt like I didn’t have the sense of purpose that I had when I was going for Paris. I need something more personally motivating than being the first Canadian going three times to the Olympics. “But going to the Commonwealth Games was already a goal for me even before Paris. I’m very much looking forward to visiting more of Scotland.” Mirabai Chanu (IND) The two biggest names at the Championships were Charron and Mirabai Chanu, who will both be going for a third Commonwealth Games victory in Glasgow. They were competing for the first time internationally since the Paris Olympics more than a year ago, when Charron finished second at 59kg and Chanu fourth at 49kg. Chanu, a silver medallist in Tokyo, got India off to a winning start despite failing with three of her six attempts. She made 84-109-193 for a wide-margin victory at 48kg. Charron weighed in more than a kilo light in her new 63kg category and made her first five attempts before failing on 131kg. Her 103-127-230 put Charron top of the individual women’s rankings ahead of Chanu, with the Australian Kiana Elliott third. Charron said she may cut down to 58kg at some point. Kiana Elliott (AUS) Elliott, 28, competed at the lowest weight since her international career began nearly 12 years ago and produced her best Sinclair score when she won at 58kg on 100-112-212. She became the first woman in the new weight category to snatch 100kg. Elliott lifted at Tokyo but narrowly failed to qualify for Paris. She finished fourth when she competed at 71kg at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, and is expected to be a serious medal contender in Glasgow at her lower weight. Another Australian, Eileen Cikamatana, missed three attempts but still won by 20kg when she made 110-145-255 at 86kg. Cikamatana, fourth in Paris at 81kg, had made exactly the same total in July to win at the Pacific Mini Games. The fifth Olympian to win was Iuniarra Sipaia from Samoa in the super-heavyweights on 110-151-261. Sipaia weighed 50kg more than the bronze medallist Mary Taiwo from Nigeria, who was originally down for the 86kg category and totalled 231kg weighing 87.35kg. Sarah Matthew (NGR) Three of Taiwo’s team-mates won. Onome Didih made 90-107-197 at 53kg, Islamiyat Yusuf was well clear in clean and jerk for 105-131-236 at 69kg, and 18-year-old Sarah Matthew put in the best performance by a junior when she won at 77kg on 108-128-236. Rafiatu Lawal, the Birmingham champion at 59kg, was among the original entries at 58kg but did not lift in Ahmedabad. Nigeria had four of the top 10 in the women’s individual rankings and also had the second best points scorer in the men’s list, Joseph Umoafia. Unfortunately for him, the only man to gain a better Robi score was in the same 71kg weight category – the Indian winner Ajith Naryana. Naryana made only two good lifts to win a tight contest on 145-172-317. Umoafia missed two attempts for victory on 176kg and finished 146-170-316. Nigeria’s results were well received back home, where The National Sports Committee chairman Mallum Shehu Dikko said, “Our athletes have shown the world that Nigeria remains a force to be reckoned with in weightlifting. Their success is a victory for our country, for every young aspiring athlete, and for the development of Nigerian sports as a whole.” India had two other men’s winners besides Naryana. Rishikanta Singh Chanambam was clear at 60kg on 120-151-271, declining his final attempt, and Ajaya Babu Valluri won with his last lift at 79kg on 152-183-335. Valluri was third in the individual rankings. Malaysia had two champions, Aznil Bidin on 125-172-297 at 65kg and Mohamad Ghazali on 150-193-343 at 94kg. Braydon Kennedy (CAN) Braydon Kennedy from Canada won at 88kg with a total of 347kg, which was 1kg less than the junior winner Sairaj Pardeshi from India. Pardeshi’s 157-191-348 was more than any other junior at any weight and put him top of the individual junior rankings. Taniela Rainibogi from Fiji won at 110kg on 165-200-365 when Jack Opeloge from Samoa twice failed on 209kg after Rainibogi had finished. Samoa had better luck in the super-heavyweights when Sanele Mao got the better of David Liti from New Zealand, winning on 181-220-401. Samoa also had a big result in the youths when 17-year-old Seine Stowers missed a snatch world record attempt in winning at 77kg on 102-127-229. Stowers was second in the points list behind Koyel Bar from India, whose 85-107-182 at 53kg earned her junior as well as youth gold. Bar, 17, was second behind Matthew in the junior rankings. The top men’s youth on points, by a wide margin, was Arumugapandian Maharaj from India. He made 114-140-254 at 60kg. Weightlifting at next year’s Commonwealth Games is scheduled for July 26-30. Ahmedabad has officially submitted a bid to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030. By Brian
