Chanu inconsolable after missing medal

Jaideep Singh in Sydney

Pint sized Thing Baijan Sanamacha Chanu missed the chance of making Indian sporting history and was inconsolable.

"Tying for the fourth to sixth places or anything of the sort is no consolation for me," said the dejected Manipur girl. "Being the sixth best in the Olympics is irrelevant since I came to win a medal.

"It just wasn't in my fate... my knee played up after a missed snatch attempt."

Tipped to bag a medal in the 53 kg category on women's lifting's debut at the Games, the 21-year-old came into the Olympics with a three-gold show in this year's Asian championships.

With China's Yang Xia setting world records in both the snatch and jerk for a world record total of 225 kg and Taipei's Li Feng-Ying taking the silver with 212.5 kg, Sanamacha, at best, was in contention for the bronze. The bronze was eventually won by Indonesia's Winarni Binti Slamet with a combined score of 202.5 kg -- 7.5 kg more than Sanamacha's -- but there was plenty of drama and misfortune, before the Indian girl's dreams faded.

Starting the snatch with a clean lift of 80 kg, she progressed to 85 kg on her second lift but faltered in the third attempt at 87.5 kg. In the clean and jerk, Sanamacha succeeded with 105 kg on her first try, advanced to 110 kg on the second and then went for a drastic 117.5 kg on the last attempt, which she failed.

She failed to meet her 197.5 kg performance at the Asian championship.

However, her loss eventually boiled down to the missed third snatch. She raised 87.5 kg but could not hold on and hobbled out clenching her knee.

Indian weightlifting team official Balbir Singh said the snatch was not Sanamacha's strong suit and the failed attempt ruined her chances.

"Had she succeeded, then the pressure would have been on the Indonesian," he said. "Besides, she would then have gone for only 115 on the final attempt and that would have placed her at par with the bronze-winning Indonesian.

Going for 117.5 kg in the desperate last attempt, Sanamacha could not raise lift the weight off the ground.

Disappointment was writ large on her face as she walked out shaking her head, but she put up a brave face as Indian officials came to console her.

If Sanamacha had tied on the aggregate weight with Indonesia's Slamet, the Indian would have got the bronze because of a lighter bodyweight.

Instead bodyweight came into play for the fourth to sixth places and she slipped to sixth place.

Chanu's final scores of 85 kg in snatch and 110 kg in clean and jerk gave her a total of 195 kg overall and tied her for the fourth place with two others -- Franca Gbodo of Nigeria and Swe Swe Win of Myanmar. But Sanamacha's heavier bodyweight placed her below the other two.

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