Lifter Achinta Sheuli, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion, has been expelled from the national camp in NIS Patiala after the 22-year-old was caught scaling the wall allegedly to enter the women's hostel. Sheuli, it has been learnt, was caught at around 10pm on Thursday night by security personnel, who also shot a video of the incident.
Sheuli has been sent to Army Sports Institute (ASI) in Pune, and he left the Patiala campus on Friday morning. "We couldn't have tolerated such a breach. It is unfortunate that such a promising athlete was caught doing this but we couldn't have taken this lightly," Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) president Sahdev Yadav told HT.
The Sports Authority of India and the NIS Patiala Regional Director Vineet Kumar were also made aware of the incident.
The Kolkata lifter's transgression has left senior coaches shocked. "It's a pity that all our hard work has gone to waste. We spent a lot of time and effort on him. His success at CWG should have spurred him to get better," a senior coach said.
The 73kg lifter who the 2022 CWG gold with a Games record total lift of 313kg, came 12th at the IWF Grand Prix II last year with a total lift of 306kg. He had before that missed the bus for the Hangzhou Asian Games from where Indian lifters returned empty-handed.
{{/usCountry}}The 73kg lifter who the 2022 CWG gold with a Games record total lift of 313kg, came 12th at the IWF Grand Prix II last year with a total lift of 306kg. He had before that missed the bus for the Hangzhou Asian Games from where Indian lifters returned empty-handed.
{{/usCountry}}"Discipline seems to be an issue with some of our lifters. It is sad to see such talent lose its way," Yadav said.
Last year, Jeremy Lalrinnunga (67kg), the 2022 CWG 67kg gold medallist, was expelled from the national camp on disciplinary grounds.
"You can see which way the sport is going in India. Those who stay focussed, like Mirabai Chanu, will continue to earn laurels while the ones who go astray will fall by the wayside. Having said that, Jeremy and Sheuli are great talents and I wish they find their way soon," the coach said.
The expulsion ends Sheuli’s chances of qualifying for the Olympics as he will not travel to the IWF World Cup in Phuket (March 31-April 11), a mandatory event for Paris Games qualification.