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Coach Vijay Sharma remains upbeat about Mirabai Chanu's chances at the upcoming Paris Olympics despite the recent hurdle that the Tokyo silver medalist faced during last year's Asian Games.
The ace weightlifter who sustained an injury in Hangzhou was back in action at the IWF World Cup after a six-month hiatus involving rest, recovery, and rehab.
Vijay Sharma's optimism with regard to Mirabai Chanu's medal prospects in Paris is not unfounded. The veteran coach has successfully helped the former world champion overcome similar phases in the past too as he explained to Sportskeeda during an exclusive interaction.
Coach Sharma turned the clock back to the 2018 Asian Games which Mirabai Chanu had to miss out on after having won a gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier that year.
"Mirabai sustained an injury during the Asian Games (in Hangzhou) although we had faced a similar issue during the previous Jakarta Asian Games as well. After setting a record at the Commonwealth Games, we were preparing for the 2018 AG when Mirabai developed a back issue," he explained.
"We missed the Asian Games back in 2018. This time, at the Asian Games she sustained an injury during the competition. It was extremely disturbing especially for a month or so considering that we were not able to achieve what we wanted to despite putting in a lot of hard work." Vijay Sharma stated.
Mirabai's rehab programme was structured keeping in mind the upcoming Olympic Games schedule which also helped spur her team on after a period of gloom.
"That said, it's now time to focus on the most important competition of all which is the Olympic Games. Paris will be the third Olympic Games for us and it will be our endeavour to give it everything we have," he stressed.
"The rehab was started keeping in mind the schedule of the Olympics/ Winning a medal in Paris is the ultimate aim. It was a tough phase to overcome, but the motivation of the upcoming Olympic Games spurred us on. As of now, our preparations are on the right track and with some more effort we can win an Olympic medal again" coach Sharma revealed.
"As of today, Mirabai Chanu is totally injury-free" - Coach Vijay Sharma
Vijay Sharma stressed that Mirabai Chanu is now fully fit and the injury phase is well behind her. He also confirmed that she does not have injury-related issues as of now.
The veteran coach was also quick to add that the effort now is to ensure that Mirabai remains injury-free in the lead-up to the Paris Games which begin in late July.
"She has now recovered fully and the injury phase is now behind us. We have now got to ensure that no new injuries are sustained. As of today, Mirabai is totally injury-free and has no injury-related problems whatsoever." Sharma said.
Mirabai Chanu, who is exclusively managed by IOS Sports and Entertainment, finished third in the Women's 49 kg Group B event at the Phuket IWF World Cup earlier this month after lifting a total of 184 kg (81 kg snatch and 103 kg clean and jerk).
Mirabai's proposal to train in Paris ahead of the Olympic Games under the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) initiative got the nod from the government earlier this week.
