India’s lone weightlifter Chanu carries burden of expectations

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

One of the four individual Indian athletes hoping for a repeat of their success from the Tokyo Olympics and win back-to-back medals, weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is the lone weightlifter representing the country in the Paris Olympic Games.

Being the only one from India in her sport in Paris, Mirabai will be carrying the weight of the expectations of 130-odd crore people. But lifting weights comes easy for the 29-year-old from Nongpok Kakching in Imphal East district of Manipur. Being a lone ranger for the country in top competitions is also not new for Mirabai as she was also the only Indian weightlifter in Tokyo.

Silver in Tokyo

Mirabai made history in the re-scheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 when she won the silver medal in the 49 kg weight class, becoming the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal. She is also the most successful Indian lifter at the Olympics and the second one after Karnam Malleswari in 2000 to win an Olympic medal.

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Now Miramai, who will be competing in the third Olympics after the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo, will be hoping to become the second Indian woman sportsperson to win back-to-back medals in the quadrennial Games after shuttler PV Sindhu (2016, 2020).

Tough path

However, the path to the podium in the women's 49kg class is extremely tough, and Mirabai, who became the World Champion in his weight class in 2017, the first Indian to win. China's Hou Zhihui, the gold medallist at Tokyo, is the run-away leader with a total lift of 200kg, while the rest of the field has recently lifted in the range of 180 to 190kg.

Mirabai's strong point is clean and jerk, in which she held the World Record at 119 kg. Thus she will have to do a very good snatch to then capitalise on her performance in clean and jerk to get into medal contention.

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