3 min readNew DelhiMar 26, 2026 04:29 PM IST
2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Mirabai Chanu has all the medals in her cabinet barring one, the Asian Games.
The continental medal has eluded the weightlifter from Manipur despite coming as close as fourth in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
Mirabai first competed in the continental showpiece at the age of 19, finishing ninth at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. She was later forced to withdraw from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta due to a back injury that disrupted her preparations. Later in Hangzhou, a hip injury dashed her hopes after coming agonisingly close to sealing a podium finish. The setback had also side-lined her for nearly five months.
“The Asian Games is very important personally because I still have unfinished business there,” Mirabai said on the sidelines of the Khelo India Tribal Games on Thursday.
However, it is not going to be easy for the experienced weightlifter who will be featuring in both Commonwealth and Asian Games in a space of 40 days and different weight categories.
“I will keep my weight within 48kg till the Commonwealth Games, but within two months of it, there are Asian Games, which is in 49 kg, so I will have to switch back,” noted Mirabai. “First of all, maintaining this weight is very tough. Earlier, I used to compete in the 49 kg category, so the adjustment has been challenging. Now, for the 48 kg category, I have to be much more careful and disciplined with my weight management. I need to control my diet more strictly than before. I have to eat less and carefully balance my protein and carbohydrate intake. Even if I feel like eating something, I have to avoid it because it can increase my weight. So overall, maintaining this weight is very difficult, and every athlete feels the same at this level,” she explained further.
Mirabai had a brilliant start to the season with record-breaking lift in the 48kg category. She lifted 89kg in the snatch — her best effort despite competing in a weight class below her usual 49kg division. She followed it up with a successful 116kg lift in clean and jerk, which stands as the national record in the women’s 48kg category
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With a technical tweak in snatch, she went from 88 to 89 kg after half a decade.
“There was a slight technical tweak for her in the snatch. Now, she is lifting the barbell with more speed and holding it closer to her body. The technique has inspired confidence, and now we are thinking of going beyond the 90kg mark,” Chanu’s coach Vijay Sharma had told the Indian Express during the nationals.
Apart from the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, Mirabai Chanu will also focus on the Asian Weightlifting Championships and World Championships this year.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
