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Before we wake up on Wednesday morning, India’s Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu will have already finished her lifts at the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships, being held at the high altitude of Bogota in Colombia. The global competition is part of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games qualification event.
As per the schedule, the women’s 49kg A category featuring 11 weightlifters, including two Chinese, will commence at 4.30pm local time, which will be at 3am in India.
The 27-year-old Birmingham Commonwealth Games champion will have to battle Bogota’s thin air and with the Chinese duo, including Olympic champion Hou Zhihui, on her way to a podium finish.
Mirabai has been facing fitness issues due to a wrist niggle post the Commonwealth Games in August. However, in high-quality competitions, the star Indian weightlifter has exhibited her fighting spirit, and the Bogota World Championships will be no exception.
The entry weight of the two Chinese lifters is 205kg, while Mirabai’s entry weight is 200kg. The athletes are clubbed in the group as per their entry weight. Entry weight is the total weight that athletes will lift during snatch, clean, and jerk in the competition.
Belgium’s Nina Sterckx, who has an entry weight of 202kg will also be one to watch.
Out of the 11 weightlifters in 49kg A category, there are five who have an entry weight of 200kg. Thailand’s Sanikun Tanasan and Hayley Marie Reichardt of the USA both have 201kg entry weights against their names.
The Chinese weightlifters are pre-event favorites for the women’s 49kg title. Double world record holder Hou Zhihui is considered a strong medal contender.
The women’s 59kg, meanwhile, will be the main attraction as there are 54 entries.
While India is fielding four athletes, the Chinese contingent has 20 players, including five Tokyo Olympic champions. Hosts Colombia and Mexico are other nations that have a large contingent.
Several players pulled out of the competition due to fitness and visa problems. The initial entries were 709 but were later reduced to 537.
ITA reports adverse analytical findings
The International Testing Agency (ITA) reported four adverse analytical findings and the weightlifters have been provisionally suspended and debarred from competing at the World Championships.
To clean the sport, the IWF has been associated with the ITA since 2018 to ensure the IWF anti-doping program is handled by an independent agency. The IWF, at its executive board meeting in Rome in October, announced its commitment to protect clean athletes by introducing minimum testing requirements for member federations.
