(From left) Mandakini Mahanta of Orissa and R. Nagesh of Tamil Nadu with their trophies. Pix: Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, April 4: Tamil Nadu lifters reigned supreme in the Federation Cup Powerlifting Championship that concluded at JRD Tata Sports Complex today.

They gathered a whopping 91 points to become the overall champion, leaving Uttarakhand behind with 56 points to become the first runners-up. Madhya Pradesh secured the third place with 45 points.

The Strong Man of India — 2008 award was bagged by R. Magesh of Tamil Nadu for his splendid performance, while the Strong Woman of India — 2008 award was bagged by Mandakini Mahanta of Orissa.

In the women’s events for different weight categories, Jharkhand had something to cheer about with Sunita Singh managing to hold on to the second position with a total lift of 292.5kg in the 75 kg weight category. The first position was bagged by P. Gokila Vani of Tamil Nadu with a total lift of 400kg.

With the World Powerlifting Championship and Asian Powerlifting Championship just a few months away, the Indian squad would be selected based on the performance of lifters at this event.