Picture Credit: X
Mirabai Chanu is widely heralded as the greatest weightlifter of India, who made history at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games with a silver medal in the 49kg weight category. The 29-year-old is also a former world champion in the sport, winning the gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships 2017 in Anaheim.
The Manipur-born is one of only two weightlifters to win a medal for India at the Olympic Games, with the other one being Karnam Malleshwari, who got a bronze medal at Sydney 2000. Mirabai Chanu also set the Olympic record in the clean and jerk, with a successful lift of 115kg in the 49kg weight category, which happened during her silver medal triumph at Tokyo 2020, only bettered by Hou Zhihui of China with her attempt of 116kg in the same event.
She held the world record with a clean and jerk of 119kg in the 49kg weight category, which was achieved in Tashkent in 2020. But in recent years, it has been broken multiple times with Ri Song Gum of North Korea holding the current world record at 125kg.
In the past year, Mirabai Chanu has been plagued with injuries, which has hampered her preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games quite significantly. She qualified for the multi-sporting games after lifting 184kg weight, including 81kg in snatch and 103kg in clean and jerk earlier this year at the IWF World Cup, finishing in third place.
The thigh injury for Mirabai Chanu happened during the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, where she injured herself during her third and final attempt at the clean and jerk. With the combined lift of 191kg, including 83kg in snatch and 108kg in clean and jerk, to finish in fourth place in the multi-sporting continental games.
Due to her recent fitness issues, it will be quite tough for Mirabai Chanu to replicate the heroics of Tokyo 2020 at the Paris Olympics. She will also have to contend with top-quality rivals in the 49kg weight category, especially from China and North Korea later this month.
