Nepal’s Sanju Chaudhary set a new national record by clinching the country’s first gold medal in women’s weightlifting at the 13th South Asian Games on Thursday.

Chaudhary lifted a total of 171kg—74kg in snatch and 97kg in clean and jerk—for the gold medal in the women’s 59kg division in Pokhara. She also set a new national record and became the first Nepali woman and second Nepali player ever to bag a weightlifting gold in the Games.

Kamal Bahadur Adhikari is the other Nepali player to win a weightlifting gold in the South Asian Games in the 10th edition held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 2006. “I am exhilarated because my performance went just as I had imagined,” said Chaudhary, who joined Nepal Police Club a year ago. She dedicated her medal to her family and the coach.

Sri Lanka’s RMNS Rajapaksa settled for silver finishing behind Chaudhary. The Sri Lankan lifted 70kg in snatch and 91kg in clean and jerk for a total of 161kg. Fayama Akhtar of Bangladesh finished with bronze, snatching 70kg and lifting 90kg in clean and jerk.

In the women’s 55kg division, India’s Bindhyarani Devi won gold while Bangladesh’s Phulpoti Chakma and Pakistan’s Saima Sahajada won silver and bronze respectively.

In the men’s 55kg category, Sri Lanka’s YDI Kumara bagged the gold medal to finish ahead of Nepal’s Tularam Mahato. Raj Kumar Rajak of Bangladesh claimed silver.

India’s Jhili Dalabera and Sri Lanka’s Simari Samarakul bagged gold and silver medals respectively in women’s 45kg category. Nepal’s Sangita Rai won the bronze medal along with a new national record. She lifted a total of 127kg—57 in snatch and 70 in clean and jerk to surpass the previous record of Karina Chaudhary at 112kg. 

In the women’s 49kg segment, Indian weightlifter Sneha Soren clinched the top spot. Sri Lanka’s Hasani and Bangladesh’s Mola Sabira won the silver and bronze medals respectively.