Mirabai Chanu Secures Silver Medal at Asian Games 2023
Mirabai Chanu's Historic Achievement
The 32-year-old Indian produces a total lift of 198kg (87kg snatch and 111kg clean and jerk) at the Nagota City Trade and Industry Centre (Photo: IANS)
Nagoya, Sep 23: Renowned Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has achieved a significant milestone by winning her first Asian Games medal, a silver, in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category during the ongoing Asian Games.
The 32-year-old athlete lifted a total of 198kg, comprising 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk, at the Nagota City Trade and Industry Centre. This victory marks her as the first Indian weightlifter to earn a medal at the Asian Games since Karnam Malleshwari secured silver in Bangkok back in 1998.
North Korea's Ri Song-gum, a two-time Asian Games and world champion, took home the gold with a total lift of 210kg (94kg snatch, 121kg clean & jerk), while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri claimed bronze with a total of 191kg (87kg snatch, 103kg clean & jerk).
With this medal in Aichi-Nagoya, Mirabai has now completed her collection of medals from the three major multi-sport events: the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. She joins Karnam Malleshwari as the second Indian weightlifter to achieve medals in all significant international weightlifting competitions, including the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships.
Mirabai's accolades include an Olympic silver, a world championship title, and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. However, the Asian Games podium had eluded her until now. In her debut at the 2014 Asian Games, she finished ninth, and in 2018, she missed the event due to injury. In 2023, she narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth due to a thigh injury affecting her performance.
Returning to Japan, where she previously won Olympic silver, Mirabai finally secured the Asian Games medal she had been pursuing since 2014. Her journey has been filled with both challenges and triumphs; she faced disappointment at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where she failed to make a valid lift, but rebounded at the Tokyo Olympics with a silver medal, solidifying her status in the world of weightlifting.
Chanu began her competition with an 87kg snatch and maintained that weight for her successful clean-and-jerk attempt, concluding with an overall lift of 198kg. This silver medal not only highlights her personal achievement but also enhances India's medal tally in Nagoya, ending a 28-year drought for a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games.