She may have already competed in three Olympic editions, but Saikhom Mirabai Chanu still has a lot of weightlifting left in her, veteran weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma believes. The Tokyo 2020 silver medallist finished fourth at the Paris Olympics in August 2024, missing a bronze medal by the barest of margins in the women’s 49kg category. (More Sports News)
Sharma, speaking at the sidelines of the ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestones by Inspiring Women) women’s weightlifting league in Modinagar, said: “After Paris, we both discussed the future and decided that Mirabai must continue in competitive weightlifting.”
In a tight four-way competition at Paris, Chanu was edged out by Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao for the bronze medal. Khambao lifted a total of 200kg (88kg snatch + 112kg clean and jerk) to Chanu’s 199 (88 + 111) kg. China’s Hou Zhihui (206 kgs) defended her Tokyo Olympics gold, while reigning European champion Mihaela Cambei of Romania (205 kgs) bagged the silver.
“I have been working with Mirabai since 2014 and she is a very disciplined athlete. Mirabai finished fourth in Paris and we both feel that there is some more work to do. We are looking at the next Commonwealth Games (in 2026) and the Asian Games (in 2026 Nagoya, Japan). An Asian Games medal is missing from her cabinet and we will give it our all to secure that,” the 54-year-old Sharma, who is developing a weightlifting facility in Modinagar, said.
The Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023 turned out to be a nightmare for Chanu. Within sniffing distance of a maiden Asian Games medal, the then 29-year-old Manipuri lifter injured her hip and was out of action for five months. She made a splendid recovery and progressed to Paris 2024 as a medal hope.
“I did my best and was happy to finish where I did after coming back from the injury,” Chanu said, adding that she was somewhat handicapped by her menstrual cycle. “It is part of the game in women’s sport,” the Dronacharya-winning Sharma told SAI Media.
Saying that a league like ASMITA had created a good space for women to pursue a sports career, the national coach said India’s weightlifting future hinged on women lifters working hard.
“In India, women’s weightlifting has a bright future. You have seen how Karnam Maleshwari claimed an Olympic medal in 2000, then Mirabai Chanu in 2020… I have been in weightlifting for 25 years, I can emphatically say that only women can win us Olympic medals in 2028 and 2032. Men have to really work very hard to come up to Olympic expectations.”
