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On Thursday, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu made a special place in the hearts of all Indians as she became the first from the country to bag a gold medal from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The 23-year-old World Champion, who hails from Imphal, smashed her way to a new personal record as well as the Games record by breaking six records in six lifts to bag the top prize in the women’s 48kg weightlifting.
Speaking over the phone from Gold Coast to Sportskeeda right after her event, the youngster could not hold back her glee. "I feel very happy with my effort, I won the gold medal and created a record as well. But I can't express the true measure of my happiness through words," she said.
She broke her own personal best of 194kg, which she achieved at last year's World Weightlifting Championships, with a combined effort of 196kg (86kg in snatch and 110kg in clean & jerk). In the process, Mirabai bettered the silver medal she had bagged in Glasgow in 2014.
When asked if she was thinking of a setting a new record when she was going into to perform, the spritely youngster replied, "I was not overconfident that I will win the gold medal or break the record for that matter. I had prepared well for the event but my only goal today was not to fail in making any lifts. At the back of my mind, I knew if I could successfully complete all my lifts, the medal will come and I will break the record."
One thing, that many might not have noticed, is that Mirabai was wearing earrings which were shaped like the Olympic rings during her performance. On being asked about the significance of the earrings, she let out a small laugh.
"The earrings were gifted to me by mother, two months after Rio Olympics, and I still wear it. I was very disappointed after Rio and so my mother gifted it to me, perhaps, to motivate me," Mirabai said.
At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Mirabai was only one of the two women who did not finish her event. After the disappointment, she had even considered leaving the sport altogether. However, inspired by her mother, she is now back doing what she does best.
Her performance in Gold Coast has raised new hopes of an Olympic medal in Tokyo. Hopefully, she will be able to deliver and make her mother proud.
