Mirabai Chanu Bags Gold in Commonwealth Championships
Indian women's weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has won the gold medal in the Commonwealth Championship being held in Ahmedabad. Participating in the 48KG weight category, Chanu lifted a total of 193 KG. Her best lift in snatch was 84 KG, while she lifted 109 KG in clean and jerk.
Chanu had entered an international weightlifting championship for the first time after the Paris Olympics. 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Chanu missed out on winning a medal in the Paris Olympics. She was then ranked fourth.
Chanu had been away from international events for almost 1 year due to injury. The effect of lack of preparation was evident from her performance. She made only one successful lift in 3 attempts in snatch.
In the first attempt, she failed to lift 84 KG weight and was seen holding the right knee. However, in the second attempt, she lifted the same weight comfortably. In the third attempt, she tried to lift 89 KG but could not succeed.
After snatch, clean and jerk lifting took place. Chanu lifted 105 KG in the first attempt. In the second attempt, she also lifted 109 KG weight easily. In the third attempt, Chanu tried to lift 113 KG weight but failed.
In this way, with the best lift of 84 KG in snatch and 109 KG in clean and jerk, Chanu lifted overall 193 KG weight and won the gold. Irene Henry of Malaysia won the silver medal by lifting a total of 161 KG (73+88), while Nicole Roberts of Wales won the bronze medal with a total of 150 KG (70+80).
31-year-old Chanu used to do weightlifting in the 49 kg category earlier. However, the 49 kg category was removed in the last Olympics, due to which she had to shift to the 48 kg category.
Her combined personal best is 207 KG
Chanu may have won gold in the Commonwealth Championship, but she is still far from her personal best. Her personal best in snatch is 88 KG and in clean and jerk is 119 KG. Thus, her combined personal best is 207 KG.
In the Paris Olympics, Chanu lifted a total of 199 KG. At the same time, she lifted 202 KG in the Tokyo Olympics.
Target to lift 90 kg in snatch
Working closely with chief national coach Vijay Sharma, Chanu is busy refining her technique. Her main target is to lift 90 KG in snatch.
Chanu, who is gearing up to reach the top spot in the World Championships in October, had recently said, "I will not go all out in Ahmedabad as I am preparing for the World Championships. My biggest target is the Asian Games where I have to break the world record and win a medal as I have not made any record there yet."
Prakash Kumar Pandey