Berhampur city erupted in jubilation and people came on to the streets to celebrate with fire crackers as soon as news broke about the record breaking performance of city lad Ravi Kumar at the Common Wealth Games. Despite rains, the sports lovers and his friends thronged Ravi's house at Golapalli street immediately after the news about his victory spread to congratulate his family members. Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Governor M C Bhandare congratulated Ravi, while the Indian Olympic Association announced a cash reward for him. Ravi has not only brought glory to the town, but entire state as well as the country, said Biswanath Patra, a former weightlifter in the town. India’s K. Ravi Kumar won the gold in the men’s 69 kg weightlifting event at the Commmonwealth Games in Delhi on wednesday, setting a new Games record in the process. Members of Veera Hanuman club of Berhampur, to which Ravi Kumar belongs, celebrated by distributing sweets and greeting the crowd. Ravi Kumar broke the Games record by lifting 321 kg (146+175) and surpassed Cameroon’s Venecelas Dabaya’s total of 310kg, achieved in the 2002 Manchester Games. It is also a new Commonwealth Championships record. The 22-year-old from Orissa was always the runaway favourite having lifted a combined 307kg to win the Commonwealth title in 2009, 22kg more than his closest rival in the field Mohammad Talib of Malaysia.
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