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Tokyo Olympics silver medallist and reigning Commonwealth Games champion, Mirabai Chanu on Monday, April 1 qualified for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. The 29-year-old, who finished third in Group B of the women’s 49kg division at the IWF World Cup, became the first and only weightlifter from the country to qualify for the Games.
Chanu finished at third place in Phuket, Thailand after a total lift of 184kg, which consisted of 81kg in snatch and 103kg in clean and jerk event. It is to be noted that the World Cup was a mandatory qualifying event for the upcoming Olympics. The Indian weightlifter made her comeback at the international level on Monday, April 1 after a six-month injury forced break.
The Indian weightlifter, who belongs to the state of Manipur, last competed at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September-October 2023. However, she crashed out of the continental Games after a bad fall in her third and final clean and jerk attempt, forcing a thigh injury.
All my attention is on making a mark at Paris Games: Mirabai Chanu
The 29-year-old CWG gold medallist, after fulfilling all the criteria for the Paris Olympics spoke about now shifting the focus on the Games. The 2017 world champion, who is ranked second after China’s Jian HuiHua also expressed her excitement after qualifying for the 2024 Paris.
“Almost every lift I made today felt clean, clear and powerful. I am leaving this competition feeling strong and confident. The rehabilitation was tough and demanding, but with support of everyone involved in my rehab and recovery, I pushed through all the complications. The journey to get here required relentless dedication and hard work and I couldn’t be happier being back on the ramp - lifting and competing for my country”, she said after the competition.
“The goal was to secure my spot for the Paris Olympics, and now that I am almost through, all my attention is on making a mark at the Paris Games,” Mirabai Chanu further said.
The Indian weightlifter qualified for the Paris 2024 ranked second in the IWF ranking charts after successfully making an appearance at the 2022 World Championships, 2023 Asian Championships and the 2024 World Cup.
