Asian Games main target this year: Mirabai Chanu

In a new weight class, she returns to competition on Friday for the first time since the Tokyo silver

Within a month of winning India’s only Olympic silver in weightlifting—and the second medal after Karnam Mallewari’s bronze in 2000 —Mirabai Chanu was training at Patiala’s National Institute of Sport. But having skipped last November’s world championships, it is only on Friday, at the Singapore Weightlifting International, seven months after the Olympics that she will return to competition.

Mirabai Chanu won Olympic silver in weightlifting (Getty)

Excited? Yes, said Chanu, 27. “There is some nervousness also because I am competing in 55kg and not 49kg but I am really looking forward to this new challenge.”

The Singapore event is also a qualifier for the Commonwealth Games (July 28-August 8) where India lack a strong competitor in the 55kg category. So for now, Chanu has been asked to move up from 49kg where India also have a Games’ berth.

“We want to win as many gold medals as possible in the Commonwealth Games and that is why I decided to try out a new weight category. I don’t know the competitors so everything will be new. The aim will be to first qualify in the weight category. I am working to bring some changes in my technique in snatch because that’s an area I need to improve,” said Chanu.

In both weight categories, Chanu is a strong candidate for gold in the Commonwealth Games. Her medals from the Games, silver in 2014 and gold in 2018 came in 48kg. In 55kg, Nigerian Adijat Olarinoye is currently the best and lifted 203kg at the Commonwealth championships in November. She will be Chanu’s main competitor in Birmingham.

The Asian Games (Sept 10-22) in Hangzhou, China, will be different. With China and North Korea, who skipped Tokyo because of Covid-19, in the fray, it will be Chanu’s toughest test. It is also one frontier that Chanu is yet to conquer, having won medals in Worlds and Olympics. She is expected to compete in her regular category (49kg) in Hangzhou.

“My main target this year will be Asian Games. I want to be in top shape for the Asian Games. It is one tournament that I have wanted to win a medal in since I started weightlifting. Somehow, I have not been able to achieve it. I could not participate in the previous edition in 2018 because of an injury,” said Chanu.

It was in 2018 that Chanu’s back problems began. As a long period of lower back pain disrupted training, the postponement of Tokyo Olympics by one year was a blessing for her. It allowed Chanu to fix her back and shoulder problems. Chanu and national coach Vijay Sharma spent months in St Louis, USA, with Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter turned strength and conditioning coach, who devised a training plan to rejuvenate her overworked muscles.

“I remember when my injury resurfaced in 2020. It was a very difficult phase. I had to take part in the Asian championships and qualify for the Olympics but I was struggling in training. I used to be so tense. The question going in my head was: will I be able to participate in Olympics? Injuries are part of an athlete’s life but only an athlete knows how much mental pressure it brings. We went to the USA and fortunately things worked out for me,” said Chanu.

Chanu returned stronger and followed it up with a world record (119kg) in clean and jerk at the Asian championship.

“After all the hard work, the medal at the Olympics made me forget all the pain. Last year was the best I ever had because I lived my dream. I got so much love and recognition from people. I was humbled. This is what a sportsperson craves for and dreams of.”