Tokyo Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu to compete at national weightlifting championships next month
Mirabai Chanu will be seen in action for the first time since winning the silver medal at Tokyo 2020.
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu will compete at the national weightlifting championships 2021-22, which starts on January 8, according to The New Indian Express.
The nationals will be held in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha and will conclude on January 16.
It will be the first time Mirabai Chanu, a former world champion, will be seen in action since her silver-winning effort at the Tokyo Olympics.
Mirabai Chanu, who competes in the 49kg weight category, had opted out of the 2020-21 nationals at NIS Patiala in August, held right after the conclusion of Tokyo 2020.
She also withdrew from the recently held world and Commonwealth weightlifting championships in Uzbekistan to give herself more time to master a new technique.
India won 16 medals at the meet in Uzbekistan including four golds in the Commonwealth championships, courtesy Jeremy Lalrinnunga, Achinta Sheuli, Ajay Singh and Purnima Pandey.
Jeremy Lalrinnunga and Achinta Sheuli may miss the nationals.
Every participant at the national weightlifting championships will undergo an RT-PCR test irrespective of his or her vaccination status. The tournament will be held under strict COVID-19 protocols.
Later in the year, Mirabai Chanu is expected to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she will be the defending champion. The Asian Games will follow in September.