'Didn't eat for two days...': Mirabai Chanu's shocking revelation
What's the story
After winning her third Commonwealth Games (CWG) gold medal, Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu opened up on the challenges of making weight. Chanu, who struck gold in the 2026 Glasgow women's 48kg event, revealed that she didn't eat for two days and reduced her water intake for three days before the competition. Shortly after winning in Glasgow, Chanu told PTI that managing her weight is "extremely difficult."
Weight challenges
Chanu's struggle to make weight
Speaking to PTI, Chanu highlighted that controlling body weight is an immense struggle for any athlete.
She further explained the difficulty of competing in the 48kg category as there's hardly any room to lose more weight.
"To make weight this time, I had to stop everything. I couldn't eat and haven't drunk water for three days. 50.5kg is my natural weight, so for 49 kg, a cut of 1.5kg, but for 48kg it becomes more, which is really tough."
Information
How wrestler Vinesh Phogat was disqualified
Chanu's comments echo the plight of other athletes like wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who was disqualified from the women's 50kg event at the 2024 Paris Olympics after being found just 100gm over the permissible limit ahead of her gold-medal bout.
Milestone
Third successive gold for Chanu
Mirabai Chanu overcame an early setback to produce a gold medal-winning performance in the CWG 2026 women's 48kg event.
After missing her opening snatch attempt at 82kg, she lifted the same weight on her second try.
She raised the bar to 85kg on her final attempt, setting new Commonwealth and Games records.
Chanu then sealed the title with a 105kg clean and jerk, finishing with a record total of 190kg.
She claimed her third successive CWG gold medal.