ಟೋಕಿಯೊ ಒಲಿಂಪಿಕ್ಸ್ ಬೆಳ್ಳಿ ಪದಕ ವಿಜೇತೆ ಮೀರಾಬಾಯಿ ಚಾನು ಆರ್ ಐಡಬ್ಲ್ಯುಎಫ್ ವಿಶ್ವಕಪ್ ವೇಟ್ಲಿಫ್ಟಿಂಗ್ನ ಪೊಣ್ಣುಲೆನ 49 ಕೆ.ಜಿ ವಿಭಾಗದ ‘ಬಿ’ ಗುಂಪುಡ್ 3ನೇ ಸ್ಥಾನ ಪಡೆದೆರ್.
Mirabai Chanu, Tokyo Olympics silver medallist, has taken a significant step toward securing her spot at the Paris Olympics. Chanu, who picked up a thigh injury in the Asian Games 2023 finished third in the women’s 49kg Group B event at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
The Reigning Commonwealth Games champion registered a total weight lift of 184 kg (81 kg in snatch and 103 kg in clean and jerk) and qualified in this tournament. Mirabai has now met the Paris Olympic qualification criteria, which requires two compulsory events and three other finals.
Chanu’s performance places her second in the women’s 49kg Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR), The official announcement regarding her qualification will be made after the World Cup concludes, once the OQR is updated. The top 10 lifters from each weight class will secure their spots at the Paris Olympics.
Despite not being at her peak due to the hip tendonitis injury she suffered during the Asian Games in September, Chanu managed to execute five clean lifts. Her snatch and clean and jerk lifts fell short of her personal best efforts. Chanu’s personal best came in the Asian Championships in 2021, where India’s No. 1 Weightlifter in the 49 Kg category lifted an impressive 88 kg in snatch and even set a then-world record of 119 kg in clean and jerk.
The comeback of a 29-year-old weightlifter from Manipur marks the end of a tense period for her. She had to be carried off in her previous competition due to an injury and Her return to competitive sports bodes well for India, particularly considering that she is the sole Indian athlete competing in weightlifting.