India’s first silver medal at Tokyo -2020 Olympics in weightlifting by Mirabai Chanu

The World No 3 began with successful snatch lifts of 84kg and 87kg, setting the tone for her quest for a podium finish. The 26-year-old did not succeed in her third snatch attempt of 89 kg, but her first two lifts were sufficient to place her in second place after the snatch. Mirabai, a world record holder in the clean and jerk in the women’s 49kg division, was in an excellent position to finish on the podium after she was in the top spots after the snatch.

The Indian began with a successful lift of 110 kg before attempting an amazing second lift of 115 kilograms. Mirabai failed to lift 117kg on her third effort in an attempt to test her boundaries, yet she still managed to earn a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics.

Mirabai has come a long way since she failed to finish the competition in the Rio Olympics five years ago. However, in 2021, Rio appears to be a distant memory, possibly even a recollection from another life. She’s a reincarnated weightlifter. She made history in 2017 at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, California, when she became only the second Indian woman in 22 years to win a gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships, following renowned weightlifter Karnam Malleswari. Malleswari had accomplished this feat twice before, in 1994 in Turkey and 1995 in China.

Chanu won the first gold medal for India at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, lifting a total of 196 kg, 86 kg in snatch, and 110 kg in clean & jerk. She also set a new record in the weight division. She earned bronze in the clean and jerk in the 49 kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in 2019. Her greatest weight was 199 kg at the time. She broke the 200 kg barrier at the Asian Championships in 2021.