Sanket Sargar, Son of 'Paanwala' Wins Silver at Commonwealth Games 2022

Sanket Mahadev Sargar won silver in the Men's 55 kg division of weightlifting on Saturday, earning India’s first medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

In total, Sanket lifted 248 kg (113 kg in Snatch and 135 kg in C&J). Bin Kasdan Mohamad Aniq of Malaysia won the gold medal after lifting 142 kg in the clean and jerk to get his total weight up to 249 kg, defeating the Indian weightlifter's total by just 1 kg.

Sanket's father, who is from Sangli in Maharashtra, is a "paan" seller. The 21-year-old weightlifter now owns the men's 55 kg weight class national record with 256 kg.

Sanket, who was born on October 16, 2000, broke the record for the nation in the clean and jerk with a lift of 138 kg in 2020 at the Khelo India University Games.

After breaking a new national record in the snatch with a 113 kg attempt in Tashkent, Sanket went on to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in 2021.

The young boy who is quite shy hopes to bring home a medal for India at the 2024 Olympics in Paris too. 

Sanket, who studied history at Shivaji University in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, was overjoyed after winning the silver medal for his nation.

After receiving the medal, the 21-year-old remarked, "I would like to dedicate my medal to India's freedom fighters, I nearly teared up because I couldn't win the gold medal. 5 years of hard work helped me win this medal. Everyone back home in Sangli would be happy, when I used to see my dad, I felt like changing our lives. A bit disappointed to miss out on the gold."

He said, "My coach asked me not to go for the third attempt after the injury in my second effort, but I wanted to go for it."

“My daughter won gold for Maharashtra in Haryana Khelo India Youth Games and now, my son has now won the first medal for India in Commonwealth Games," said Mahadev Sargar, Sanket's father.