Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu clinched India's first gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in the women's 48kg category. She achieved a record total lift of 190kg, including new Commonwealth and Games records in snatch (85kg) and clean and jerk (105kg). This marks her third consecutive gold at the CWG, following her wins in 2018 and 2022, and she also secured a silver in 2014.
Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu secured her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold, breaking records in the women's 48kg weightlifting. Rishikanta Singh and Raja Muthupandi also added silver medals, contributing to India's growing tally at the Games.
With this, Chanu became only the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari bagged bronze in the 69kg category at the 2000 Sydney Games.
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu shared her emotional journey with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal. She revealed the struggles of the past four years, including injuries, family problems, and the heartbreak of narrowly missing a Paris Olympics medal, which led to her tears on the podium.
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu shared her emotional journey with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal. She revealed the struggles of the past four years, including injuries, family problems, and the heartbreak of narrowly missing a Paris Olympics medal, which led to her tears on the podium.
The Olympic silver medallist's inspiring fitness tips.
Mirabai Chanu's dream of clinching a second successive Olympic medal was dashed
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, champion weightlifter, in a new role.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, hailed Saikhom Mirabai Chanu's gold-medal winning effort at the Weightlifting World Championship in Anaheim, USA.
The gold went to China's Hou Zhihui with an effort of 210kg (94kg+116kg), who created Olympic records in all three categories (snatch, clean and jerk and Total).
While weightlifter Mirabai Chanu bagged silver, badminton star PV Sindhu and boxing legend Lovlina won bronze in the Tokyo Olympics. The trio graced the cover of the latest edition of the leading fashion magazine.
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya felicitated the Indian weightlifting team for their strong performance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where they secured one gold, six silver, and one bronze medal.
Born to a poor family in Nongpok Kakching village about 20 kilometres from the capital Imphal, the youngest among six siblings, Mirabai would go to collect firewood from a nearby hill with her brother Saikhom Sanatomba Meitei, who is four years her elder.
India's Saikhom Mirabai Chanu turned in a highly disappointing performance at the Rio Olympics, as she could not get an overall total in women's 48kg after failing to lift the weight in any of her three attempts in clean & jerk section. In a field of 12 lifters, she was one of two who did not finish (DNF) her event.
Indian weightlifters, including Olympic medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and silver medallist Lovepreet Singh, received a hero's welcome upon their return to New Delhi after a successful Commonwealth Games campaign, where they secured eight medals.
The former world champion ended with a total lift of 201kg (88kg+113kg), which is far from her personal best.
The Chanu household at Nongpok Kakching village, around 25km from Manipur capital Imphal, had visitors since Friday despite the curfew caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mirabai Chanu talks about training in lockdown and her plans to return to her old fitness regime.
Mirabai Chanu's show was below her personal best.
The 24-year-old Manipuri lifted 82kg in snatch and 110kg in clean and jerk to finish on top of the podium after recovering from the injury, which required extensive physiotherapy.
Mirabai turned 28 on Monday, August 8, and the champion celebrated her birthday by planting saplings.
PM Modi, Olympian Abhinav Bindra lead country in congratulating Mirabai Chanu on winning Olympic silver on Saturday.
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu was first of the seven medallists for India at the Tokyo Olympics, winning a silver medal in weightlifting (49kg category), on the first day of the Tokyo Games.
Tokyo Olympics will be Chanu's second appearance on the big stage
The 2026 Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships, featuring athletes from 30 countries, will be held in Gandhinagar from May 11 to 17. The event serves as a qualifier for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
An Olympic medallist's wish is anybody's command. Domino's Pizza has pledged free pizza for life to India's silver medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, after the champion said she wished to eat pizza after her feat at the Tokyo Olympics.
It was an emotional homecoming for newly-crowned Olympic silver-medallist Mirabai Chanu, who broke down on meeting her mother in Imphal on Tuesday before being felicitated by Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh at the airport.
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is focussing on an Asian Games gold medal, the only accolade missing from her showcase.
'We feel empowered to perform for India'
This Olympic cycle has been marred by injuries for Chanu, who turned 30 just a day after the competition in Paris.
The state government would also reward her with Rs 1 crore, the chief minister said.
"I saw the earrings on TV, I gave them to her in 2016 before the (Rio) Olympics. I have made it for her from the gold pieces and savings I have so that it brings luck and success," Leima said from her home in Manipur where a considerable number of relatives, friends and well-wishers gathered to watch Chnau script history in Tokyo.
The ongoing crisis in Manipur has affected several others in the country in one way or the other. Over the years Manipur has produced brilliant sports person in the country.
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu clinched three bronze medals for India on the opening day of the 19th Junior Women Asian Weightlifting Championships in Yangon, Myanmar.
Indian weightlifters Sivalingam Sathish Kumar and Saikhom Mirabai Chanu earned the right to compete at the Rio Olympics in men's and women's weight categories respectively after topping the selection trials. Selection trials were held in Patiala to choose one lifter each from men's and women's category across all weight divisions after India had earned two quota places for the Rio Games at Senior Asian Championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan in April. Sathish earned the ticket for Rio after finishing on top among male lifters with a total of 336kg in 77kg weight division. He lifted 151kg in snatch and 185kg in clean & jerk.
The postponement of the Tokyo Games and a break in training due to the COVID-19 lockdown last year brought with it a shoulder issue for the weightlifter that could have led to a completely different result, something Chanu had been worried about.
Chanu ended India's over two-decade-long wait for a weightlifting medal at the Olympics.
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will have an outside chance of a podium finish for India when the weightlifter begins her campaign in the women's 48kg category at the Rio Olympic Games on Saturday.
Six Indian athletes found themselves agonisingly close to the podium, ultimately falling short.
Online voting for the award will remain open until February 28 and the winner will be revealed on March 28 at a ceremony in the Capital.
