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Birmingham, August 3
Vikas Thakur arrived at the Commonwealth Games listening to Sidhu Moosewala's songs. The Indian weightlifter was thinking about the late Punjabi singer's music even while "doing the lifts" during the competition here.
Having skipped meals for two days following Moosewala's murder, the first thing Thakur did after winning his third CWG medal on Tuesday was to pay tribute to his idol by doing the 'thigh-five' celebration.
The seasoned Thakur lifted a total of 346 kg (155 kg+191 kg) to finish second in the men's 96 kg event.
Thakur, who hails from the Rajput Jatt community in Himachal Pradesh, said, "The Punjabi 'thapi' (thigh-five) was tribute to Sidhu Moosewala."
The rapper-politician from Punjab was killed in broad daylight at Mansa on May 29. He was 28.
"I did not eat for two days (after his death)," said Thakur during an interaction wtih PTI after winning his second CWG silver.
Thakur had won silver (85 kg) in the Glasgow 2014 edition, while at Gold Coast 2018 he had returned with a bronze (94 kg).
He said, "I've never met him but his songs will remain with me forever. Even before coming to the competition, I was listening to his numbers. I will always be a big fan of his. He always would say 'jor bina patta de thapi bajdi na' on the thigh five (you have to give it your all to achieve something).
"He will always remain my all-time favourite singer. His songs are always on my phone. Happy or sad, he (his numbers) always keeps me going," he said, adding that 'Everybody Hurts' is his current favourite when he's down.
"I was thinking about that while doing the lifts," he said.
He had a lift of 191 kg in his second attempt in a clean jerk to edge out Fiji's Taniela Tuisuva Rainibogi by three kg.
He was "very naughty" as a kid and was put into different sports to keep him engaged after his homework.
"I would finish my homework early and to ensure that I don't get into bad company, my parents put me into sport. I tried athletics, boxing and finally weightlifting at the Ludhiana Club under CWG 1990 medallist Parvesh Chander Sharma," he said.
It was K Ravi Kumar, who made headlines at the 2010 CWG in Delhi with his record-breaking lift in 69 kg, who inspired Thakur.
"Though I started out in 2002, Ravi Kumar's performance in Delhi inspired us all. It brought on that passion and there was no looking back," he said.
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