Gyaneshwari Yadav lifted a combined 198kg—88kg snatch and 110kg clean‑and‑jerk—to finish eighth in the women’s 53kg at the IWF World Championships, edging out several Group A and B lifters.
The lift was a tight contest. Yadav’s snatch matched the 90kg benchmark that has haunted her for six years, yet two missed attempts—one in each phase—kept her from breaking her personal best of 199kg.
She topped Group C, but the benchmark of 200kg set for Mirabai Chanu’s Group B fell short when Chanu withdrew after a back flare. The Indian weightlifting community lost a star debut in the 53kg category.
China’s Zhang Haiqin took gold with a 221kg total, while Eleanor Ulrey and So Hyon Kim closed the podium with 220kg and 214kg respectively. Yadav’s 198kg sits comfortably below the top tier, but above many Group C competitors.
The result matters for the Olympic qualification window. Yadav now faces a steeper climb to secure a top‑ten finish at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Her next test will be the Asian Championship, where she can aim to convert those missed lifts and boost her total closer to the 200kg mark.