Mirabai Chanu Makes History with Silver at Asian Games 2026

Historic Achievement for Indian Weightlifting

On September 23, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya extended his congratulations to Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu for her remarkable silver medal win at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. This victory marks a significant milestone, ending a 28-year drought for India in this sport at the continental level.

Mandaviya took to X to express his pride, stating, "Historic Silver for Mirabai Chanu! Congratulations on winning the Silver Medal in the Women’s 49kg Weightlifting event at #AsianGames2026. This is her first medal at the Asian Games and brings India another medal after 28 years! The entire nation is proud of you."

Historic Silver for Mirabai Chanu! ‍ Congratulations on winning the Silver Medal in the Women’s 49kg Weightlifting event at #AsianGames2026. This marks her first Asian Games medal and brings India another medal at the Games after 28 years! The entire nation is proud of you. #Cheer4Bharat

— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) September 23, 2026

Chanu achieved her first Asian Games medal in the women’s 49kg category with a total lift of 198kg. She successfully completed all her snatch attempts, lifting 83kg, 85kg, and 87kg, and then recorded 111kg in her second clean and jerk attempt.

North Korea's Ri Song Gum secured the gold medal with a total lift of 215kg, while Wijayana took home the bronze.

This silver medal adds to Chanu's impressive accolades, which include a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and three Commonwealth Games titles. She is now the second Indian weightlifter, following Karnam Malleshwari, to earn medals across the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Championships.

Previously, Chanu had finished fourth at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 due to an injury that prevented her from completing her final clean and jerk attempt. She made a strong comeback by winning gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Mandaviya also praised soft tennis player Jay Meena, who made history by winning India's first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport, securing bronze in the men's singles event.

"Heartiest congratulations to Jay Meena on securing the first-ever Bronze Medal in the Men’s Singles Soft Tennis event at the #AsianGames2026," Mandaviya posted on X.

Meena's journey ended in the semi-finals after a 2-4 loss to Japan's Takuya Kurosaka. Despite losing the first three sets, he fought back to win the next two, but ultimately Kurosaka clinched the final set 4-1.

Earlier, Meena had defeated Sherwin Nuguit from the Philippines in the quarter-finals, ensuring India a historic medal as all semi-finalists were guaranteed podium finishes.

As of this report, India’s medal tally stands at 11, placing the nation 12th overall, while China leads with 66 medals.