Akshata Basvani Kamati of Karnataka has won a gold medal in the Under-21 age 71-kilogram category in weightlifting at the Khelo India Youth Games being held in Pune. Kamati, the daughter of a farmer, initially seemed nowhere in the running for the gold.
She heaved a modest 73 kilogram in the snatch and then failed twice at 76 kilograms, while her main rivals — fellow Karnataka lifter Lavanya Rai (79) and PH Roshni of Arunachal Pradesh with 77 — built a handy lead. Stung by that reverse, Kamati opened with a successful attempt at 100 kilograms in the clean & jerk and then improved it to 103 kilograms before failing at 107 kilograms in the next two attempts.
Kamati comes from Halaga near Belgaum. Kamati credited her father for encouraging her towards the sport.
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