Heartbreak for weightlifter Punam Yadav who wanted to win a CWG gold for 2-year-old daughter

Indian weightlifter Punam Yadav looked distraught when her third attempt in Clean and Jerk was called invalid by the jury during the women's 76 kg final on Tuesday (August 2). Had she won a medal in Commonwealth Games 2022 at Birmingham, it could have been her third successive one at the Games. A gold could have been her second successive one at the mega event as she had clinched a gold medal four years ago in 2018 at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast. She had clinched a bronze medal in 2014 CWG in Glasgow in 63 kg. In Gold Coast, she moved to 69 kg to clinch the gold while in Birmingham she participated in 76 kg. 

Punam is a multiple Asian junior medallist and Commonwealth junior champion. Additionally, she has won the Commonwealth Championship in 2015. Punam, who hails from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, has also won silver in Commonwealth Championships in 2017. 

Punam was spotted in 2011 by Sports Authority of India coach GP Sharma when she was working in the field in a village near Varanasi with her father. She was apparently lifting a huge load on her shoulders and Sharma felt she could win medals for India in future. 

In May 2020, the 27-year-old gave birth to a baby girl. The private hospitals doctor had advised her a caesarean operation but she went to a government hospital for a natural birth as she did not want it to affect her lifting career. Her husband Dharamraj supported her in this decision, reported Hindustan Times. 

Punam has not seen her daughter for one year now as she has been busy preparing for the Commonwealth Games and wanted to win a medal for her this year but that is not happening. 

How di Punam Yadav miss out on a medal?

Punam started off the match with failed attempt to lift 95 kgs in Snatch. But came back strongly to lift 95 kgs and 98 kgs in her second and third attempts. She was in contention for the gold medal with only Canada's Maya Laylor ahead of her. However, in the Clean and Jerk, due to her poor balance, her first 2 attempts were called invalid by the jury. She came back for her third attempt and took her own time to get going. She managed to lift 116kgs, which could have given her a medal but the 27-year-old lifter put down the bar before the down-signal. And it was called  a 'no-lift' by the jury. 

The former CWG champion will return to India without a medal now and would not be able to fulfil her wish to win a gold for her two-year-old daughter. In last one year, Punam has met her daughter only once and that too while one her way from Delhi to Bhubaneswar. On the way to the Nationals, she deboarded at Mirzapur railway station to take her.  All her sacrifices and hard work have been spoiled by one little mistake.