Saikhom Mirabai Chanu Seeks To End India’s 72-Year-Long Wait For Asian Games Weightlifting Gold
New Delhi: Saikhom Mirabai Chanu will be looking to end India’s 72-year-old gold drought at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on September 30. Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is one of the two Indian lifters in the 19th edition of the continental showpiece. Bindyarani Devi is the other. Interestingly, Mirabai Chanu will be making her Asian Games debut this year after having missed the 2018 edition in Jakarta.
With a rich history and legacy, weightlifting is one of the sports, that all Indians look up to when it comes to quadrennial events. Interestingly, no Indian has ever been able to bag the elusive yellow medal, although the country has so far won 14 medals – 5 silver and 9 bronze.
India’s last weightlifting medal at the Asian Games came 25 years back when Karman Malleswari took silver in Bangkok. With only an Asian Games medal missing from her trophy cabinet, Mirabai Chanu has prioritised the continental championships this year
The 29-year-old from Manipur, who will be competing in the women’s 49kg category, has been working hard to get the coveted 90kg snatch lift. But it won’t be smooth sailing for the Indian as she would have Chinese lifters Hou Zhihui and Jiang Huihua in the field.
Determined to lift gold, Mirabai Chanu even decided to not lift at the World Weightlifting Championships 2023 in order to remain fit for the Asian Games.
How Saikhom Mirabai Chanu Fared In 2023 So Far?
Following her CWG 2022 gold, Mirabai Chanu has struggled with injuries. She underwent a hip surgery last December and was in rehabilitation for five months before returning to competitive action at the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 in Jinju, Republic of Korea.
She finished sixth there which was also her only competition in 2023. Currently, Mirabai Chanu is training at St Louis’ SQUAT University under Dr. Aron Horschig ahead of Asian Games. Bindyarani Devi will be competing in the women’s 55kg category.