NEW DELHI: It has been a story of resilience, courage and heartbreak for Martina Devi Maibam, whose Commonwealth Games debut ended on Thursday with an emotional fifth place in the women’s over 86kg event.The 20-year-old Manipuri lifter came within touching distance of a medal after recovering from the brink of elimination, finally finishing with a total lift of 245kg (105kg snatch + 140kg clean and jerk).Martina matched New Zealand’s Tui-Alofa Patolo’s total but missed out on fourth place for more failed attempts.England’s Emily Campbell, a two-time Olympic medallist, successfully defended her Commonwealth Games title in commanding fashion. Campbell lifted 278 kg (115 kg + 163 kg) and set new Commonwealth and Games records in the clean and jerk. Malaysia’s Siti Aqilah Farhana Draman claimed silver with 253kg, while Canada’s Etta Mae Love secured bronze with 250kg.
A remarkable comeback under pressure
Martina’s campaign almost ended before it had really begun. He failed both of his opening snatch attempts at 103kg, leaving himself one lift away from elimination.In a bold tactical move, coach Vijay Sharma chose to increase the weight to 105kg instead of repeating 103kg for the last attempt. The game was inspired as Martina produced a flawless lift, keeping her medal hopes alive in dramatic fashion.The emotional release was evident as the young man left the platform in tears after surviving the biggest scare of his competition.She carried that momentum into the clean and the jerk, comfortably clearing 140kg in her opening attempt – a lift that topped her previous lifetime personal best of 136kg and briefly pushed her into medal contention.However, with the podium in sight, Martina needed more big lifts to stay in the race. She failed at 144kg on her second attempt before making a final push at 146kg but was unable to complete the lift.The miss brought an emotional end to her campaign as she left the platform in tears for the second time.Although she narrowly missed out on a medal, Martina’s spirited recovery after two early failures showed her immense potential.