E-Paper
Mirabai Chanu wins silver at World Championships, lifts iron twice more than her bodyweight in final attempt
Mirabai Chanu wins silver at the World Weightlifting Championships with a total lift of 199kg.
Mirabai Chanu, one of India's most popular athletes, extended her glittering record at the World Championships as she won a silver medal in the 48kg category in Forde, Norway. Chanu, who was the world champion in 2017 and a silver medallist in 2022, registered a total lift of 199kg -- 84kg in snatch and 115kg in clean and jerk, to walk away with the silver medal.
Chanu did not have an ideal start as the 31-year-old struggled in the snatch category, failing twice at the 87kg mark. However, she brought out her best in the clean and jerk category, successfully lifting in all three attempts.
She completed the lifts of 109kg, 112kg and 115kg with ease in the clean and jerk category. The last time she was able to lift 115kg was in 2021 during the Tokyo Olympics, where, coincidentally, she won a silver medal.
North Korea's Ri Song Gum walked away with the gold with an effort of 213kg (91kg snatch and 122kg in clean and jerk). With this performance, she set new world records in total as well as the clean and jerk with her last two lifts of 120kg and 122kg.
Thailand's Thanyathon Sukcharoen won the bronze medal with a total lift of 198kg (88kg snatch and 110kg clean and jerk).
This victory for Chanu is remarkable, considering she moved down from the 49kg weight division. Earlier, Chanu's chief coach Vijay Sharma had told news agency PTI that the aim of the World Weightlifting Championships was to surpass the 200kg mark and to start lifting weights that Chanu was heaving in the 49kg category.
It's also worth mentioning that this was Chanu's second international competition after the Paris Olympics last year. This has been her longest break.
“It is important to give rest to the body. For a long period, she was doing high-intensity training for the Olympics so that rest was important,” Sharma had said earlier, according to the Indian Express.
