All posts tagged: Mirabai

Komal Kohar, who replaced Mirabai Chanu, wins bronze

Komal Kohar, who replaced Mirabai Chanu, wins bronze

Published by Webster

India’s Komal Kohar bagged twin bronze medals in women’s 48kg at the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships, ending the country’s three-year wait for a medal in the continental championships in Gandhinagar on Monday. Kohar, who was drafted into the Indian team after the withdrawal of 2020 Tokyo Olympics medallist Mirabai Chanu, grabbed her opportunity with both hands. The youngster lifted a total of 177kg to finish on the podium. She also won the clean and jerk bronze with a best lift of 99kg. Her best snatch attempt stood at 78kg, placing her fourth in the discipline. #News | Komal Kohar bags bronze at Asian Weightlifting C’shipsđŸ‡źđŸ‡łđŸ„‰ She finished third in women’s 48kg with a total lift of 177kg👏 Komal also tookđŸ„‰in clean & jerk with 99kgđŸ”„ This is India’s first medal at the continental championships in 3 years😍#Weightlifting pic.twitter.com/mSpb3UhvyI — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) May 11, 2026 Kohar started her campaign with a successful 75kg lift in snatch, before failing at 78kg. She lifted it successfully in her third attempt. Her attempts in clean and jerk started …

‘Have some unfinished business at Asian Games’: Mirabai Chanu | Sport-others News

‘Have some unfinished business at Asian Games’: Mirabai Chanu | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

3 min readNew DelhiMar 26, 2026 04:29 PM IST 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Mirabai Chanu has all the medals in her cabinet barring one, the Asian Games. The continental medal has eluded the weightlifter from Manipur despite coming as close as fourth in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Mirabai first competed in the continental showpiece at the age of 19, finishing ninth at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon. She was later forced to withdraw from the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta due to a back injury that disrupted her preparations. Later in Hangzhou, a hip injury dashed her hopes after coming agonisingly close to sealing a podium finish. The setback had also side-lined her for nearly five months. “The Asian Games is very important personally because I still have unfinished business there,” Mirabai said on the sidelines of the Khelo India Tribal Games on Thursday. However, it is not going to be easy for the experienced weightlifter who will be featuring in both Commonwealth and Asian Games in a space of 40 days …

With 3 national records in a day, Mirabai Chanu shifts focus to 2026 Asian Games

With 3 national records in a day, Mirabai Chanu shifts focus to 2026 Asian Games

Published by Webster

Modinagar: The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu kick-started her 2026 season in style, setting three new national records in women’s 48kg at the National Weightlifting Championships here in Modinagar on Wednesday. She lifted 89kg in snatch, an all-time best despite competing in a weight class below her usual 49kg. A successful 116kg lift in clean and jerk, which is an Indian national record in women’s 48kg, took her total to 205kg for the gold medal. The effort equalled her 49kg personal best of 205kg, which was registered at the Asian Championships five years ago. The 49kg weight class was officially omitted from the International Weightlifting Federation’s roster last year. “I am very happy with the performance. Despite a drop from 49kg to 48kg, my performance has improved,” an elated Chanu told The Bridge after her title win. She started the day with an 86kg snatch lift before improving it comfortably by 3kg in the next attempt. Chanu has long been among the world’s best weightlifters in the Clean and Jerk category, but snatch was …

Mirabai Chanu’s snatch improvement signals Asian Games medal push | Sport-others News

Mirabai Chanu’s snatch improvement signals Asian Games medal push | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

In elite sports, improvements after hitting peak performance are very gradual and slow. Sometimes, it can take almost half a decade to improve by as little as one kilogram in weightlifting. India’s only elite weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu, made one such improvement when she lifted 89kg in the women’s 48kg category at the Weightlifting Nationals and equalled her personal best with a total lift of 205kg. “I am delighted. This performance has boosted my confidence. Earlier I was competing in 49kg, so to be able to achieve this result in 48kg is great. I hope in the next competition I cross 90kg. Today I also tried, but since I haven’t had proper training, I wasn’t able to do it,” Chanu told The Indian Express after her record-breaking performance. “I have never lifted 90kg before. I lift around 88kg in training. My training is going well,” she added. Her previous best in the snatch category came in 2020 when she lifted 88kg at the Nationals, but that was in the 49kg category. On Wednesday, Chanu created three …

Mirabai Chanu smashes three National Records at IWLF National Weightlifting C’ships

Mirabai Chanu smashes three National Records at IWLF National Weightlifting C’ships

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Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu Saikhom delivered a dominant performance on the opening days of the IWLF National Youth, Junior, and Senior Weightlifting Championships 2025-26, rewriting the national record books in the Senior Women’s 48 kg category at Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Competing at the Yadav Farm House venue, Mirabai produced a flawless series of lifts to claim the gold medal, setting new national records in all three segments. She lifted 89 kg in the snatch, followed by a powerful 116 kg in the clean and jerk, finishing with a combined total of 205 kg. Her total placed her well clear of the rest of the field and marked one of the standout performances of the championships so far. The national championships officially began on February 3 with an opening ceremony attended by senior officials from the Indian Weightlifting Federation and Indian Olympic Association, along with athletes and coaches from across the country. Around 790 lifters from 30 states and union territories, as well as three departmental boards, are competing in the 12-day event that runs …

Support us even when we lose: Mirabai Chanu

Support us even when we lose: Mirabai Chanu

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It is not every day that an athlete of Mirabai Chanu’s stature opens up, and when the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist did, it wasn’t about the medals that she has won but about the journey that shaped her career. Speaking during a panel discussion at the FICCI Turf 2025 Global Sports Summit in the capital on Friday, Mirabai opened up about her journey long before the world knew her and emphasized how moral support can shape an athlete’s path. “I remember, when I won silver at the Tokyo Olympics, so many people came to the airport to welcome me. But when I returned from the Asian Games, injured and without winning a medal, there was no one at the airport,” Mirabai shared, reflecting how quickly public support fades when an athlete is struggling. “We need constant support when we win and even more when we lose,” Mirabai added. Mirabai had sustained a hip injury during the Hangzhou Asian Games and had returned empty-handed. Family support “I belong to a small village, which is 24-25 km …

“Weight change for 2028 LA Olympics a positive for Mirabai,” says coach Vijay Sharma

“Weight change for 2028 LA Olympics a positive for Mirabai,” says coach Vijay Sharma

Published by Webster

The International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) decision to remove the women’s 49kg weight category from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics came as a disappointment to many, who saw it as a setback to the country’s medal hopes. After all, it was in this very category that Mirabai Chanu won the historic silver at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. But Mirabai’s coach Vijay Sharma sees the decision as a positive development rather than a setback. “This decision brings with it a lot of positives for us, especially Mirabai,” coach Vijay Sharma told The Bridge on Tuesday. “We have been competing in the 48-49kg category since 2014, and it was getting difficult to maintain that weight. We will not just try, we will give it our 100 percent. “And this change is not only for us, it’s for everyone. Some lifters will have to move down, others will have to move up. Everyone across the world will need to adjust to this new weight category. But for Mirabai, it’s a positive change,” he added. Mirabai, now 31, has had …

‘Have some unfinished business at Asian Games’: Mirabai Chanu | Sport-others News

Mirabai Chanu’s weight category dropped from Los Angeles Olympics: ‘Focus on Asian Games first,’ her team says | Sport-others News

Published by Webster

Although the Los Angeles Olympics are not at the front and centre of her plans, Tokyo Games silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will be forced to rejig her approach after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) dropped her weight category from the 2028 Games. In a brief statement on Monday, the IWF said it had chosen 12 weight classes – six each in men and women – for the LA Games. The lowest category for women now will be 53kg, instead of 49kg at the Paris Olympics. This is the second weight adjustment Mirabai will have to make after the world body recently changed the entry-level weight category for the World Championships to 48kg from 49kg. The latter class has now been restored, and the IWF said the new categories will come into effect from August 1, 2026. Story continues below this ad Last month, Mirabai won a silver medal at the World Championships in the 48kg category by lifting a total of 199kg (84 in snatch and 115 in clean and jerk). It was her third …

Weightlifting: Mirabai Chanu’s weight category removed from 2028 LA Olympics

Weightlifting: Mirabai Chanu’s weight category removed from 2028 LA Olympics

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The 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu’s chances of a winning a second Olympic medal took a big hit as the International Weightlifting Federation scrapped her weight category ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Chanu, who had won her medal in women’s 49kg in Tokyo, will now have to bulk up to the 53kg weight class – the lowest available for women in Los Angeles. The 31-year-old Chanu has the experience of competing in 55kg previously. She, in fact, held the women’s 55kg snatch national record until Bindyarani Devi broke it earlier this year. Most of Chanu’s international success has, however, come in the lighter weight categories. She was crowned the world champion in women’s 48kg back in 2017. All of three of her Commonwealth Games medals have also come either in the 48kg or 49kg weight class. Chanu last competed at the 2025 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Ahmedabad, winning the gold medal in women’s 48kg weight division. The weightlifting weight categories for the 2028 LA Olympics will be as follows: MEN: 65kg, …

Mirabai Chanu dons new role as athlete representative

Mirabai Chanu dons new role as athlete representative

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Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu was on Tuesday elected as the chairperson of Indian Weightlifting Federation’s athletes commission. Chanu described her appointment as an opportunity to ‘uphold the one of fellow weightlifters’. 🚹#News | Mirabai Chanu elected chairperson of Indian Weightlifting Federation’s athletes commission. 📾@mirabai_chanu#weightlifting pic.twitter.com/F3UEv4e02U — The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) April 15, 2025 “The opportunity to represent and uphold the voice of fellow weightlifters is a matter of great pride for me,” Chanu, the first Indian weightlifter to win a silver medal at the Olympics, said in a release. She thanks Sahdev Yadav and the Indian Weightlifting Federation in a statement. “I express my immense gratitude to the Indian Weightlifting Federation for electing me as the Chairperson of the Athletes Commission of the federation. I am extremely grateful to Sahdev Yadav Sir for showcasing faith in me. I also thank the committee members for unanimously voting for me. The opportunity to represent and uphold the voice of fellow weightlifters is a matter of great pride for me. I also wish to thank my coach …