CWG '14: Thakur bags silver in weightlifting

Writhing in pain, young Vikas Thakur produced the lift of his lifetime to clinch the silver medal in men's 85kg weightlifting, as Indian lifters continued their spectacular show in the 20th Commonwealth Games on Monday.

Thakur lifted 333kg (150+183) to bag the silver while Richard Patterson of New Zealand won the gold with a total lift of 335kg (151+184). Canada's Pascal Plamondon was third with 333kg (151+182), but Thakur bagged the silver on lesser bodyweight.

There was drama towards the end as Patterson's second attempt of 184kg in clean and jerk was declared no lift but he made a clean lift in a tense situation to bag the gold.

The Indian camp waited anxiously as Thakur would have won the gold if Patterson had failed in his third attempt. But that did not happen as the New Zealander lifted 184kg clean and Thakur hand to be content with a silver.

Thakur was trailing at third with a lift of 150kg after completion of snatch though the gap with the leaders -- Patterson and Plamondon -- was just one kilogram. The Indian began with 142kg and then went onto lift 147kg and 150kg in his next two attempts.

Patterson, the favourite and last year's Commonwealth Championships winner, began with 147kg and lifted 151kg in his second attempt. He went for 154kg in his third attempt but failed to lift it. The 20-year-old Thakur had finished second in the Commonwealth Championships.

In clean and jerk, Thakur went for 179kg in his first attempt, but could not lift it. But he was successful in his second attempt to jump to the top spot. Canada's Pascal Plamondon then lifted 182kg to take the top spot.

Thakur was non-pulsed and he came out to lift 182kg to total 333kg and equal Plamondon at the top.