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Olympic and World Championships silver medal weightlifter Mirabai Chanu (49kg) and Commonwealth Games and Asian Games silver medallist Bindyarani Devi (55kg) have been permitted to train in the United States. The weightlifting duo of Chanu and Devi have already departed for a 65-day training camp in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States.
According to a Sports Authority of India (SAI) announcement on Tuesday, the two lifters will train at the Squat University under the direction of Dr. Aaron Horschig and focus on their "rehabilitation and strength training" ahead of the Asian Games.
The weightlifters left for the US with coach Vijay Sharma and physiotherapist Tesneem Zayyad on Monday, June 12. The Mission Olympic Cell of the Union Sports Ministry gave its approval to the training with the government agreeing on terms to pay for their airfare, food and housing, health insurance, local transportation, gym memberships and doctor visits, among other costs.
After competing in the Asian Championships in South Korea last month, Mirabai, who had a hip issue, travelled to the USA for roughly a 10-day training trip. It is known that the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) initially intended to send a few additional lifters to the United States for the training camp but abandoned the plan.
