Sivalingamrewrote record books in maiden games appearence
Sathish Sivalingam of India kiss the medal after winning the gold in the Men's Weightlifting 77kg category during the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games (Photo: AP)
Chennai: Sattuvacheri has a new hero. Weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam rewrote the record books on Sunday in clinching gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to become the toast of the small town in Vellore district.The 22-year-old Southern Railway employee lifted a total of 328 kg (snatch and clean & jerk) in his maiden Games to dethrone 2010 gold medallist and compatriot Ravi Katulu.
His effort of 149 kg in snatch is a CWG record. Undaunted by the decision of the judges to chalk off his clean and jerk of 178 kg in the previous attempt, Sathish successfully lifted 179 kg to nail the yellow metal.
All of Sattuvacheri, which is synonymous with excellence in weightlifting, is celebrating the success of Sathish. Sivalingam, father of the gold medallist, didn’t have time to have his breakfast on Monday as TV crews swarmed him for interviews. Gathering energy after giving non-stop bytes to the hungry media, the proud father spoke to this paper. Sivalingam hadn’t not only been a weightlifter in his younger days, he was also the first coach of Sathish.
“I knew he had a very good chance of winning silver but the gold has come as a big surprise. Ravi was armed with experience at the highest level, so beating him wasn’t an easy task.
“I’m thrilled that my son’s hard work has taken him to the top in the Commonwealth Games,” the proud father, who works as a security guard in the Vellore based Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), said. Coming from a small town that boasts five Olympians, three Arjuna award winners and a number of international weightlifters, Sathish was naturally inclined to take up the sport.
“It was his own decision. We never forced him. Sathish learned the basics of weightlifting when he was in eighth standard and carried on,” said Sivalingam.
( Source : hari kishore m. )
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