'Had I not dropped my last lift, I would have created a Games record.'
Weightlifter Sanjita Chanu expressed missed emotions after winning her second successive Commonwealth Games gold medal, in Gold Coast, on Friday.
The 24-year-old Manipur lass, participating in the 53kg category, smashed the Games record in snatch and in the process gave India its second gold medal from weightlifting.
Her total lift was 192kg (84kg+108).
However, she lamented not being able to break the record in clean and jerk.
"Had I not dropped my last lift, I would have created a Games record.
I really wanted to do it. I missed it and I am a bit sad about that. But I guess it's okay," said the reigning Commonwealth Championships gold-medallist.
Sanjita was attempting a lift of 113kg on her final attempt in clean and jerk but failed to pull it off.
"I had come thinking of breaking the record and lift 112 kg (the Commonwealth Games record is 111 kg), I thought it was not that difficult. Probably, god was not with me today.
"I became a little stiff during my clean lift and I probably didn't push too well in jerk," she reasoned.
The gold in 53 kg came after a top finish in the 48 kg category during the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
The effort is laudable given that Sanjita has been battling a back problem ever since the World Championships last year, where she injured herself just five days before the competition.
"Because of this injury I still cannot train too hard. I have been lucky to get good support which has kept me motivated.
"My back injury was a concern before coming here too, I have barely trained for 15 days for this competition. I am still 10 per cent lacking in fitness. The physio has been working on me outside the competition arena," she said.
The disheartening aspect of the situation is that Indian weightlifters do not have access to their physio in the competition area owing to lack of accreditation.
Sanjita, however, chose to play down the situation.
"They (the physios) have helped as best as they can. We have managed somehow."
She broke down during the medal ceremony.
"It was months of pressure finally coming down. I am glad I could prove wrong those who were saying that I had no chance of a medal just because I came second in the Nationals," she said.
