Pyeongtaek, June 17: The only representative with three legal lifts, India’s Ashok Malik won a gold medal in total combined score in men’s up to 65 kg class at the Asia-Oceania Para Powerlifting Championships 2022 here on Friday.
Malik also bagged a bronze medal in the individual category.
He clinched gold by lifting a total of 491 kg to finish ahead of Yi Zou of China and Amir Jafari Arangeh of Iran in the regional competition. The Chinese lifter had a total of 390 kg while the Iranian finished third with 382 kg.
In the overall Individual category, Malik won bronze with a best lift of 173 kg.
Malik came up with consistent performance as he was the only lifter in the final group with three successful lifts and bagged the gold medal in total combined score.
He started with the first lift of 150 kg and followed it up by lifting 168 kg and 173 kg in his next two attempts to finish with a total of 491 kg, which fetched him the gold medal.
In the individual category, China’s Zhou came up with a dramatic lift of 196 kg in his final attempt, just one kilogram more than Arangeh of Iran to win the gold medal. Arangeh bagged the silver and Malik (173) had to settle for bronze.
On Thursday, veteran powerlifter Farman Basha bagged two silver medals for India in the men’s up to 54 kg category.
