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Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu lifted a total weight of 193 kg on Monday (August 25) to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships.
Mirabai Chanu wins gold medal. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu lived up to her top billing with a record-breaking show as she expectedly won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad on Monday.
The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist lifted a total of 193kg (84kg+109kg) to set new Commonwealth Championship records in snatch, clean and jerk, and total, finishing atop the women’s 48kg podium.
Returning to international action after a year-long hiatus due to an injury, the 31-year-old did look rusty at times, managing only three successful lifts out of six.
She faltered on her opening snatch attempt of 84kg, showing signs of discomfort in her right knee, before clearing the same weight in her second attempt. Her third try of 89kg also ended in a failed lift.
With no real competition to push her, Chanu was essentially competing with herself. She opened with a 105kg lift in clean and jerk. She improved that to 109kg, but could not complete her final attempt of 113kg.
Irene Henry of Mayasia, who lifted 161kg (73kg+88kg), won the silver medal while Wales’ Nikole Roberts 150kg (70kg+80kg) took home the bronze.
The event marked Chanu’s return to the 48kg, a weight class in which she won her world championship title and two Commonwealth Games medals, but hasn’t competed in since 2018.
Soumya Dalvi won the gold in the junior category.
Last seen in Paris
Chanu, who has battled injuries in recent years, was last seen at the Paris Games in last August, where she missed the podium by a kilogram.
With the new Olympic weight categories in force for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the 31-year-old has decided to move down from the 49kg division to 48kg, a weight class in which she won her world championship title and two Commonwealth Games medals, but hasn’t competed in it since 2018.
Managing the weight will be a challenge, and Chanu herself has admitted it. But the tenacious Manipuri, who has collected almost every accolade the sport has to offer, has embraced it.
Working closely with chief national coach Vijay Sharma, she has also been fine-tuning her technique in pursuit of the elusive 90kg snatch.
Indians expected to shine
While Chanu remains the star attraction, India’s contingent is expected to finish on the podium in almost every weight category. Commonwealth events — Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Championships — have long been a happy hunting ground for Indian lifters, who benefit from the absence of heavyweights like China and North Korea.
When India last hosted the Championships in 2023, the home team signed off with a rich haul of 20 medals.
This time too, several CWG medallists, including silver-winner Bindiyarani Devi and bronze medallists Harjinder Kaur and Lovepreet Singh, will look to add to India’s tally.
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