A participant tries to lift weight during the Federation Cup Powerlifting Championship at JRD Tata Sports Complex on Wednesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, April 2: More than 100 international and national-level powerlifters went through their paces on the first day of the Federation Cup Powerlifting Championship inaugurated today at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.

Competitions in two weight categories — 56kg and 60kg for men — were conducted on the inaugural day. In the 56kg category, Rajesh Sukhraware of Madhya Pradesh secured the first place after lifting a total of 505kg.

He surged way ahead of his nearest contender N. Kirupanidhy of Pondicherry, who managed a total lift of 462.5kg. The third place in this category went to Nizam Ali of Uttarakhand. He lifted 455kg in all.

It was, however, Uttarakhand powerlifter Mahesh Pedamkar who secured the top slot in the 60kg weight category for men as he went on to lift a total of 587.5kg. The tussle remained a tough one in this section for the first and second place with very little margin between the contenders.

D. Arun of Tamil Nadu had to be satisfied with the second position after lifting 582.5kg in the same category, while M. Pratap of Karnataka clinched the third place with a total lift of 545kg.

Significantly, around 109 participants from different parts of the country are taking part in the championship.

Officials said the competition for the men has been split into 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, 100kg, 110kg, 125kg and above 125kg categories, while in the women’s category, the championship would be conducted in the 48kg, 52 kg, 56 kg, 60 kg, 67.5 kg, 75 kg, 82.5 kg, 90 kg and above 90 kg categories.

According to officials, the Indian Powerlifting Federation (IPF) has come out with a new regulation in the Federation Cup. While in the men’s category the 52kg would not be included, in the women’s section, the 44kg category would be skipped and it would start from 48kg.

The championship here would also act as selection trials for the World and Asian Powerlifting Championship scheduled to take place later in the year. The selection for the Indian squad would be based on the performance in the Federation Cup.

The World Powerlifting Championship is scheduled to take place in South Africa from September 1-6, while the Asian Powerlifting Championship would take place in Uzbekistan from May 1-6.

The dope test would be conducted by the Sports Authority of India, after which the reports would be submitted to the Union ministry of sports.