Mirabai Chanu will target maiden Asian Games medal in 2026, says coach
The 29-year-old Mirabai Chanu, an Olympic silver medallist from Tokyo 2020, fell short of a bronze at the Paris Summer Games by one kilogramme.
Weightlifting
Veteran weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma believes Mirabai Chanu has more to offer in the sport, despite her narrow miss at a bronze medal in the 49kg category at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Mirabai Chanu, a Tokyo 2020 Olympics silver medallist, finished fourth at the Summer Games last month after a tight four-way competition.
Mirabai was edged out by Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao of Thailand for the bronze medal with a total lift of 200kgs (88kg snatch + 112kg clean and jerk) to the Indian weightlifter’s 199kgs (88kg + 111kg). The People’s Republic of China’s Hou Zhihui defended her Olympic title with 206kgs while reigning European champion Mihaela Cambei of Romania won the silver with a 205kg effort.
“After Paris, we both discussed the future and decided that Mirabai must continue in competitive weightlifting,” the 54-year-old Vijay Sharma, a Dronacharya Award winner, told SAI Media.
“I have been working with Mirabai since 2014 and she is a very disciplined athlete. Mirabai finished fourth in Paris and we both feel that there is some more work to do. We are looking at the next Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
“An Asian Games medal is missing from her cabinet and we will give it all to secure that,” Sharma said.
Both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games will be held next in 2026 in Nagoya and likely Glasgow, respectively.
The Asian Games in Hangzhou last year turned out to be a nightmare for Mirabai Chanu. Within sniffing distance of a maiden Asian Games medal, the 29-year-old Manipuri lifter injured her hip and was out for five months. She made a splendid recovery and made it to the Paris 2024 Olympics as a medal hope.
“I did my best and was happy to finish where I did after coming back from the injury,” Mirabai said, adding that she was somewhat handicapped by her menstrual cycle.
Vijay Sharma reasoned that it was a part of the game in women’s sport. The national coach added that India’s weightlifting future depended on how well women worked hard.
“In India, women’s weightlifting has a bright future,” Sharma said. “You have seen how Karnam Malleswari won an Olympic medal in 2000, then Mirabai Chanu in 2020.
“I have been in weightlifting for 25 years, I can emphatically say that only women can win us Olympic medals in 2028 and 2032. Men have to really work very hard to come up to Olympic expectations.”