Leon (Spain): Despite entering with a lower total of 225kg in Group B, India’s Dhanush Loganathan delivered a stunning performance to win the bronze medal in the men’s 55kg category at the IWF Junior World Weightlifting Championships 2024. The 17-year-old lifted a combined total of 231kg (107kg in snatch + 124kg in clean and jerk), securing a podium finish in the prestigious competition.
Dhanush’s achievement was even more remarkable given the stiff competition from 14 of the 24 weightlifters who had entered with higher weights. Both gold medallist K Duong of Vietnam, with a total of 253kg (115kg + 140kg), and silver medallist Kotaro Tomari of Japan, with 247kg (108kg + 139kg), competed in Group A, which included weightlifters with higher entry totals.
In addition to his overall bronze, Dhanush earned a separate bronze medal in the snatch event, while finishing 13th in the clean and jerk. Medals at the championships are awarded in three categories: snatch, clean and jerk, and total weight.
This latest triumph adds to Loganathan’s growing list of accolades. In 2023, he won a bronze medal in the men’s 49kg category at the Weightlifting Youth World Championships in Albania, and in 2022, he clinched gold at the National Weightlifting Championships, along with a youth bronze at the Asian Championships in Tashkent.
India’s contingent at the Junior World Championships features three men and six women. On Thursday, Payal (women’s 45kg) and Panchami Sonowal (women’s 49kg) also competed but did not secure podium finishes.
