With Paris 2024 in mind, Mirabai Chanu working hard on her snatch technique
The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist is experimenting in her technique after returning to training.
Mirabai Chanu had a taste of glory when she won a silver medal in the women's 49kg weightlifting at Tokyo 2020. She had become only the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal. However, Chanu is not satisfied.
She wants to taste gold at Paris 2024 and is working hard to tweak her technique to overcome her main rival in Hou Zhihui of China.
Chanu had lifted 87kg in the snatch category at Tokyo 2020 and followed it with 115kg lift in clean and jerk for a combined total of 202 kg. Eventual gold medallist Hou Zhihui lifted 94kg in snatch and 116 in clean and jerk. The major difference between the two lifters was in snatch and that is where Chanu wants to improve.
It should be noted that in snatch technique, the weightlifter, needs to lift the barbell from the floor to an overhead position in one continuous motion. And the chief coach of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, Vijay Sharma, is guiding Chanu to improve her snatch technique.
"Our snatch is weak. We are trying to improve on it. There is no problem in strength. Clean & jerk is a strength event and snatch is a technical event. Our strength is the most. But now we are trying to put our mind on improving the snatch technique," Sharma told Olympics.com
Sharma, however, admitted that it takes time to implement the revised technique for an elite weightlifter and he is still at an experimental stage with Chanu after their success at Tokyo 2020.
"We have analyzed a few things and there are a few others to do. It will come with time as we are now experimenting several things around her (Mirabai Chanu's) snatch technique," Sharma said.
It is also a regular process for the weightlifter to work on strengthening their body. In Chanu's case, it is her left hand and right leg, which are weak and needs to be focused on primarily.
"It (strengthening) is a regular process and we need to keep working on strengthening her body as well. Her left hand and right leg is weak," Sharma revealed.
The Manipur-weightlifter will continue her training at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala at least till December. There might be a foreign trip planned for the Manipuri-weightlifter early in 2022 as Sharma wants her to be in the best form at the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham.