Anaheim, California: India won its first weightlifting World Championships gold medal since 1995 when Mirabai Chanu defeated the Thai favourite Thunya Sukcharoen in the women’s 48kg on Wednesday.

Vietnam had a one-two finish in the men’s 56kg, and Francisco Mosquera Valencia of Colombia became the first non-Asian winner at 62kg since 2003.

Mirabai had failed to register a total at the Rio Olympics because of nerves and while she said she was also nervous at Anaheim Convention Centre she made three clear clean and jerk lifts for a total of 194kg to deny Sukcharoen, who failed with her last attempt, by one kilogram.

India’s last World Championships winner was Karnam Malleswari, who in 2000 became the country’s first female Olympic medallist in any sport.

In the 56kg weight class Vietnam’s Thach Kim, who had finished on the podium behind the North Korean Om Yun-chol in the past three World Championships, lifted 279kg to beat compatriot Tran Le Quoc and Thailand’s Witoon Mingmoon.

Mosquera Valencia, a silver medallist in 2015, made up a six kilogram deficit in the snatch to win the 62kg with a total of 300kg from Japan’s Yoichi Itokazu and Georgia’s Shota Mishvelidze.

North Korea did not enter this year, while nine other leading nations are banned for doping offences. Reuters

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