CWG: A Paan seller’s son - Weightlifter Sanket Mahadev Sargar wins India’s first medal in Birmingham

India’s Sanket Mahadev Sargar made history on Saturday, winning India’s first medal at Birmingham 2022.

While it must have been disappointing to not finish with Gold , it is still a dream come true for Sargar, who still helps out in his father’s Paan shop and food stall in Sangli, Maharashtra.

Sargar though narrowly missed out on the coveted Gold, losing by just 1 kg to Aniq Kasdan from Malaysia, to take home the silver.

The weightlifter from Maharashtra successfully completed all his three attempts in the Snatch category, finishing with 113 kgs with his final lift and took a 6 kg lead over Malaysia’s Aniq Kasdan at the end of the event.

But it was the Clean & Jerk where he lost out to the Malaysian. After a successful attempt of 135 kg, Sargar injured himself with his second try and couldn’t better his lift in the Clean and Jerk.

Malaysia’s Kasdan was still behind Sargar, but a final successful lift of 142 kgs took him above the Indian in the Gold medal position. He also made a new Commonwealth Games record with his total lift of 249 kg.

But a silver is still a huge, huge achievement for the Indian. Hopefully, Sargar’s achievement in Birmingham can go a long way in helping him realise his dreams. For he’s a role model for those who live in the smaller towns and yet, continue to dream big for the nation.