Saikhom Mirabai Chanu claimed India’s first medal in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting in the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Inspiring Journey Of Mirabai Chanu
Mirabai Chanu was born in a family with restricted means and the youngest among six siblings in Imphal. Chanu’s lifting skill was first distinguished when she was around 12, able to lift and take home a bundle of firewood that was very too big for her and her siblings.
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Mirabai Chanu had initially wanted to take up archery until tumbling into a Weightlifting hall at a regional sports hall in Imphal.
Her Awards And Medals:
Mirabai Chanu bagged the silver medal in the 48kg category at the Commonwealth Games 2014 in Scotland.
She also cracked a 12-year-old national record kept by the medallist Kunjarani Devi At the International Trials for the Rio 2016 Olympics game.
At the World Weightlifting Championship 2017 in Anaheim, USA, Mirabai Chanu came to be the first Indian weightlifter in over two decades to contend for a gold medal. Her achievement in the 48kg category was the first since Sydney 2000 bronze medal winner Karnam Malleswari’s record runs in 1994 and 1995.
She pursued that up with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. However, trauma to her lower back would pull her back from participating in other anticipated games such as Asian Games and the World Championships in 2018, and then she spent nearly a year away from the ground, recovering from the injury.
In 2019, Chanu got back to contend at the World Championships in Thailand. She could only win a fourth-place finish, however, it was an outstanding outing at the Pattaya event as she breached the 200 kg mark for the first time in her career.
At the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent in April, Mirabai Chanu set a recent world record in the clean and jerk with a lift of 119 kgs. However, Mirabai Chanu had to finalize for a bronze medal at the Asian meet games.
The performance, though, was enough to ensure her Tokyo 2020 berth based on rankings. She’ll be the only Indian women weightlifter in action in the Tokyo Olympics.
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Appreciations Overflooded
From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Cricket Icon Sachin Tendulkar, everyone appreciated India’s Day 1 Tokyo Olympics star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu.
Sachin Tendulkar tweeted and complimented Mirabai for her outstanding finishing at Tokyo Olympics. “Absolutely amazing display of weightlifting. The way you have transformed yourself after your injury and clinched a historic silver for #TeamIndia is absolutely stupendous. You have made the Flag of India very proud. #Tokyo2020 #Olympics”.
Mirabai also expressed an emotional message on her Social Media platforms after her podium finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I am really happy on winning a silver medal in #Tokyo2020 for my country,” wrote Mirabai with a special message thanking all the supporters.
“It’s really a dream come true for me. I would like to dedicate this medal to my country and would like to thank a billion prayers of all Indians who were with me during this journey,” she said.
The 26-year-old broke off India’s 21-year quest for an Olympic medal in the weightlifting category. She lifted a total weight of 202 kg (87 kg+ 115 kg) to earn a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
We, at Femsay, congratulate Mirabai Chanu on her miracle performance and for becoming proud of the whole nation.
Image courtesy: NDTV
Udisha Srivastav is a Freelance Content Writer with Femsay.com