It’s been nearly a year since Mirabai Chanu stood on a weightlifting platform to compete after finishing fourth at last year’s Paris Olympics in the 49kg category. The 2021 Tokyo Olympic medallist’s previous Olympics cycle was affected by a recurring injury. She had also finished fourth at the 2022 Asian Games.
However, after completing her rehabilitation and working on her technique in snatch, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist is ready for another shot at the elusive Asian Games medal. A podium finish at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is also a dream.
“I tried my best in Paris but due to inconsistent training and recurring injury, a medal was lost,” Mirabai Chanu told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the ASMITA Weightlifting league.
Chanu lifted a total of 199 kg at the Paris Olympics finishing fourth and missing out on a bronze medal by one kilogram. While she did well in the snatch with 88kg, her attempt at 114 kg in clean and jerk failed.
“I will say my training is at 80 percent right now. I recently participated in the trials for the Commonwealth Weightlifting championships and my body is feeling great,” she added further.
Snatch technique
Chanu is known for her power in the clean and jerk section of weightlifting. She held the world record of 119kg till 2024. However, she has struggled in the snatch section. “My snatch has improved. I did 88kg in Paris and my target remains to do 90 in the section,” she said. “Snatch is all about technique. How to lift the bell from the bottom and then progress and how to control your body in the process. I lack a little bit of technique. My weakness from the start has been the force transfer from sitting down to standing up,” she explained.
But after Paris, there have been slight tweaks in her technique, according to her long-time coach Vijay Sharma. “Now she is moving fast while going up with more hip thrust and it has shown results. At the recent trials, she did 85 which I was not expecting,” Vijay said.
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Also with an ageing body, athletes can’t change their technique instantly. “My body is ageing now and I can’t correct my technique instantly. But I think if I use the combination of second pull and hip thrust, 90 kg is achievable in snatch,” Chanu said.
The coach knows change will take time. “It is tough to break the pattern her body has been following for years now. Right now, our focus is the technical tweaks,” Vijay added.
New weight category
The International Weightlifting Federation has introduced new weight categories from June 2025 and Mirabai will be competing in the women’s 48 kg category now after the 49 kg category was scrapped. Talking about maintaining weight for the new category, Chanu said, “When I was in the 49 kg category, I would keep my weight around 50.5 kg to train and now I will have to keep it within 50 kg to train.”
While it might look like an adjustment of just one kilogram, it can take a toll on the body. “It’s been seven years since Chanu has been competing in the same category and now she has cut down on her natural weight of 50kg further. We had options of going either to 53 kg or come down to 48, we chose the latter one as it suits her natural weight,” Vijay added.
What next?
Chanu will be competing at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad this year which acts as the qualifier for the Commonwealth Games. After the CWC, she will prepare for the World Championships in October 2025.
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“Both tournaments are important for us. The Commonwealth is an important tournament as I will start my season here and then we have the Worlds where I will be competing with the Chinese and North Koreans,” Chanu said.
“Eventually, my target is to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,” she added.
Coach Vijay Sharma has planned gradual progression for Chanu this year and the plan is to improve the total lift event by event. “What I saw at the trials was visually pleasing to the eyes as a coach. She is lifting well and especially in snatch. Our plan is to add more in the total lift with each tournament. I hope this time she remains injury-free and we have uninterrupted training,” he said.
