At last! Mirabai Chanu put a halt on India’s three-year-long medal hiatus. This Thursday, she secured a silver at the World Weightlifting Championships in the women’s 48kg category in Forde, Norway.
The gold was secured by the defending champion Ri Song-gum of DPR Korea with a new world record of 213 kg (91 kg + 122 kg). While Chanu opened with 84 kg in snatch, he failed twice at 87 kg. She successfully lifted 109 kg and 112 kg in the clean and jerk, finishing with 115 kg to claim silver in both the event and the overall standings.
This silver marks India’s 18th medal at the World Championships, all won by women, taking the overall tally to three gold, 10 silver, and five bronze.
Regardless, the weightlifter’s illustrative career remains remarkable. She became India’s first world champion since Karnam Malleswari in 1995, securing a gold in Anaheim in 2017 (194 kg), and later in 2022 claimed a silver with 200 kg. However, she skipped the consecutive year after weigh-in to skip any injury during the Olympic qualifying season.
Chanu made her comeback last month at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad, lifting 193 kg to win gold and secure direct qualification for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
