P Gururaja: This Commonwealth Games silver is for my family and nation

Indian weightlifter P Gururaja with his silver medal yesterday

For a man who couldn't get a hang of how to lift the bar for the longest time, weightlifter P Gururaja said he hasn't done too badly for himself as he reflected on the silver around his neck that opened India's medal account in the 21st Commonwealth Games yesterday.

Gururaja, 25, hailing from a small village in Karnataka, could hardly stop smiling as he soaked in the attention that came with being the ceremonial account-opener. He equalled his personal best of 249kg (111kg+138kg) to finish second. "When I started in 2010, I was so frustrated because I didn't even know how to lift a bar. It was too heavy for me," he said.

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