Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally secured an Asian Games medal on Wednesday, winning silver in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan. Her achievement ended India’s 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the continental competition.
Chanu produced a combined lift of 198kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. She entered the clean-and-jerk section in third place but moved into the silver-medal position with her successful 111kg lift. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum claimed gold with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana won bronze with 191kg.
The silver was particularly significant for Chanu, who had been pursuing an Asian Games medal since her debut at the 2014 edition in Incheon, where she finished ninth. She missed the 2018 Games because of injury and came close to the podium in 2023, finishing fourth at Hangzhou after an injury affected her final clean-and-jerk attempt.
India’s previous Asian Games weightlifting medal came in 1998, when Karnam Malleswari won silver in Bangkok. Chanu’s success therefore restores India’s presence on the weightlifting podium after nearly three decades.
The medal also completes a significant gap in Chanu’s decorated international career. She already has an Olympic silver, a world championship title and multiple Commonwealth Games medals.
Speaking after her victory, Chanu said the Asian Games medal had been a long-standing dream since 2014. She added that she would enjoy the achievement for now before turning her attention to future competitions.
