Ditimoni Sonowal remains India's final contender at IWF World Championships 

India’s hopes at the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships now rest on Ditimoni Sonowal, who will compete in Group C of the women’s 64kg category on Tuesday. The event, held in Mahama, Bahrain, has so far seen Indian lifters finish without medals.  

Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medalist Bindyarani Devi ended her campaign in the women’s 55kg category on Sunday with a ninth-place finish. Competing in Group B of a non-Olympic class, the 25-year-old lifted a total of 195kg—85kg in snatch and 110kg in clean and jerk—falling 7kg short of her personal best of 202kg from the Birmingham CWG 2022.  

Bindyarani began well in the snatch category with a successful lift of 85kg but failed to clear 88kg in her final attempt. In the clean and jerk, she started with a solid 110kg but was unable to lift 114kg and 116kg in her subsequent attempts. Her overall performance placed her second in Group B and ninth overall.  

The gold medal in the 55kg category went to Kang Hyon-gyong of North Korea, who lifted a total of 226kg (100kg snatch + 126kg clean and jerk). Chen Guan-ling of Chinese Taipei secured silver with 211kg (93 + 118), while Armenia’s Aleksandra Grigoryan took bronze with 205kg (85 + 120). Bindyarani's personal best would have placed her fourth in the standings.  

Earlier in the championships, Gyaneshwari Yadav secured a fifth-place finish in the women’s 49kg event, lifting 182kg in total. Yadav participated in place of Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu, who skipped the event to focus on injury rehabilitation.  

All eyes are now on Ditimoni Sonowal as she takes the stage, aiming to keep India’s medal hopes alive at the global competition.