Mirabai Chanu ended a long wait for her first Asian Games medal. The 32-year-old secured the silver in the women's 49 kg category in Aichi-Nagoya on Wednesday. Only a World-Record Performance from North Korea's defending Asian Games champion Ri Song-Gum kept Chanu from gold.
Ri lifted a total of 215kg, including 121kg in the clean and jerk after managing 94kg in the snatch. Chanu finished with a total of 198kg, recording 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana won bronze with a total of 191kg (88kg in the snatch and 103kg in the clean and jerk).
With this silver, Chanu also ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. Karnam Malleswari was the last weightlifter to bag an Asian Games medal, which was a silver from Bangkok 1998.
The Asian Games silver adds another major medal to Chanu’s already decorated career, which includes an Olympic silver, a World Championships gold and Commonwealth Games medals.
Chanu opened with 83kg in the snatch before clearing 85kg and 87kg in the next two attempts. She was placed third after the round. Chanu then produced a best of 111 kg in clean and jerk to push ahead and finish second. She could not make the podium in two previous Asian Games appearances, finishing fourth in Hangzhou in 2023.
