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Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is currently the favorite to win a medal at the Tokyo Games in the 49kg category.
A former 2017 world champion and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Mirabai is currently seeded fourth in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category.
The top-two ranked weightlifters are Jiang Huihua and Hou Zhihui from China, while North Korean Ri Song-gum is ranked fourth.
However, North Korea has opted out of the Tokyo Olympics, meaning Jiang Huihua and Hou Zhihui are the two main participants for Mirabai to look out for.
Mirabai created a new world record in the 119kg clean-and-jerk section and lifted her second-best effort of 86kg in the snatch section to clinch a bronze at the Asian championships. It added to her best-combined effort of 205kg.
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Her performances in the last few years will be fuel for her to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. However, the aforementioned weightlifters, along with a few others, might pose a threat to Mirabai's medal hopes.
On that note, let's have a look at Mirabai's top 5 competitors at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
5. Zhihui Hou (China)
Hou is the current world No.1 in the 49kg category. She is the 2018 World champion and two-time Asian champion (2019, 2020). Hou has never lifted below 204kg at major events, which is proof that she is a top medal contender and could be a threat to Mirabai.
4. Elizabeth Jourdan Delacruz (USA)
The promising American weightlifter could be a threat to the Asian heavyweights. She switched to the 49kg category in 2019 and won the 2020 IWF World Cup championship. She is also a two-time Pan American champion (2019, 2020). Elizabeth could well spring a surprise at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
3. Kristina Ivanovna Sobol (Russia)
The Russian weightlifter used to first compete in the 53 kg and has now moved down to the 49 kg category. Sobol has won two silver medals in the 2019 European Championships in Batumi and Moscow, respectively. She looks in good touch and might be a hurdle to Mirabai Chanu.
2. Beatriz Pirón (Dominican Republic)
She is a gold medallist at the 2019 Pan American Games and also bagged a bronze medal in the tournament in 2015. With her recent outings, it can be assumed that she is going to be tough competition for anyone at the Tokyo Games.
1. Windy Cantika Aisah (Indonesia)
Windy won a gold medal at the 2021 Junior World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She also bagged a silver medal in Suva in 2019. She later bagged a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games held in the Philippines, making herself a strong contender to grab a medal at the upcoming Summer Games.
Also read: Prediction: Can Mirabai Chanu win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics?
