Even after his Abhinav Bindra moment, 16-year-old Jeremy Lalrinnunga’s excitement could hardly be felt in his voice.
Jeremy, who achieved his personal best of 274kg to outsmart his nearest competitor by 11kg and win the men’s 62kg gold, became the first Indian to claim the yellow metal in the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires.
He also broke the National record for the total weight in 62kg class for youth and junior.
For the soft-spoken teenager from Aizawl, Mizoram, his grit and composure were his biggest assets. “I am very determined and do what I like to do. My cool head also helps,” Jeremy told The Hindu from the Argentine capital on Tuesday.
“I was sure of doing something special as I had done similar weights (273kg) during the trials (in Patiala on August 8).”
National coach Vijay Sharma said: “We were well prepared. The training was good and by looking at the world rankings and performance of lifters in various international competitions I knew he would get a good result.”
Gifted
According to Sharma, Jeremy is a gifted lifter. “His natural explosive power sets his apart from others. Besides, he is obedient and follows the instructions well.”
Jeremy, who was inspired by his boxer father to take up weightlifting at an age of seven years, said his early training laid the foundation.
Having cornered glory at the age group Olympics, Jeremy now nurtures a bigger goal.
“My next target is to do well in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I have to switch to 67kg after the change in weight categories.”
Sharma has high hopes from Jeremy.
