Mirabai Chanu Completes Her Asian Games Medal Set With Silver

Mirabai Chanu Finally Finds the Missing Medal

For Mirabai Chanu, the Asian Games had been the one major multi-sport stage where a medal had remained out of reach. That changed in Nagoya on Wednesday when the Indian weightlifter claimed silver in the women’s 49kg category with a total of 198kg. Her performance ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal, the country’s previous podium finish coming through Karnam Malleswari’s silver at Bangkok 1998. Chanu’s result also completed her medal collection across the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. The 32-year-old finished behind North Korea’s Ri Song Gum, while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri took bronze.

Mirabai Chanu’s 198kg Performance Delivers Silver

Chanu produced a composed competition in the 49kg weightlifting final. She successfully completed all three of her snatch attempts, progressing from 83kg to 85kg before clearing 87kg on her final attempt. In the clean and jerk, she successfully lifted 111kg on her second attempt, taking her overall total to 198kg. The Indian then finished with silver behind Ri Song Gum, who posted 215kg. Chanu’s total was enough to put her comfortably ahead of the bronze-medal position, with Wijayana finishing on 191kg. The silver was particularly significant because Chanu had entered the competition carrying the weight of several previous Asian Games disappointments.

Mirabai Chanu’s Asian Games Journey Comes Full Circle

Chanu’s route to the podium has been anything but straightforward. She made her Asian Games debut at Incheon 2014, where she finished ninth, before missing the Jakarta 2018 edition because of injury. At Hangzhou 2023, another opportunity slipped away as she finished fourth after battling a thigh injury and withdrawing from her final clean-and-jerk attempt. The Nagoya competition therefore represented another chance to remove one of the few remaining gaps in an extraordinary career. Before this silver, Chanu had already won Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020, a world title and three successive Commonwealth Games gold medals. Her latest result now adds an Asian Games medal to that collection.

Manipur Celebrates Mirabai Chanu’s Historic Achievement

The achievement triggered celebrations in Manipur, Chanu’s home state. Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh congratulated the weightlifter and described her performance as a source of pride for Manipur and India. He highlighted Chanu’s strength, determination and perseverance, while expressing hope that her achievement would encourage young athletes from the state to aim higher. Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh also congratulated Chanu, praising her determination, discipline and commitment. He described the medal as a historic achievement because it was Chanu’s first Asian Games podium finish. The state government’s response reflected the wider significance of the result for Manipur’s sporting community.

Mirabai Chanu Adds Another Landmark to Her Career

The silver also strengthens Chanu’s place among India’s most accomplished weightlifters. She became only the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Championships. Her latest achievement is also important for Indian weightlifting as a whole. India had collected 14 Asian Games weightlifting medals before Nagoya, but none since Malleswari’s 1998 silver, while the country has never won Asian Games gold in the sport. Chanu’s medal therefore ends a lengthy national drought while completing a personal journey that began with disappointment and culminated in a long-awaited continental podium finish.