Why Mirabai Chanu is India's greatest weightlifter
What's the story
On September 23, Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won her maiden Asian Games medal, a silver, in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya edition. The Manipur-born star achieved this feat by lifting a total of 198kg in the women's 49kg category (87kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk). With this, Chanu completed her set of medals and became India's greatest weightlifter.
Drought
Chanu ends India's medal drought
Chanu narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. She finished fourth after an injury marred her final attempt.
In the ongoing edition, Chanu ended India's medal drought at the Asian Games.
The last Indian weightlifter to win an Asian Games medal was Karnam Malleswari. She won silver (women's 63kg) in the 1998 Bangkok edition.
Journey
Three successive CWG medals
Chanu's journey has been nothing short of extraordinary, making her one of India's most celebrated athletes.
Earlier this year, the Indian weightlifter clinched her third successive Commonwealth Games (CWG) gold medal.
In 2018, Chanu broke the CWG record by lifting a total of 196kg in the Gold Coast.
At the 2022 Birmingham Games, Chanu defended her title by topping her total (201kg).
Achievements
Her other incredible achievements
The highlight of Chanu's career came at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won silver (women's 49kg category).
Chanu became only the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari at Sydney 2000. She also became only the second Indian woman to win an Olympic silver.
Chanu has also won gold at the World Championships, the Commonwealth Championships, and the South Asian Games.