Mirabai Chanu to withdraw from World Weightlifting Championships to focus on rehab 

India’s Mirabai Chanu will not be taking part in the World Weightlifting Championships to be held in Manama, Bahrain, from December 4 to 15. Chanu last competed in the Paris Olympics 2024 where she failed to win a medal in the women’s 49kg category.

Chanu has been struggling with a hip injury that she sustained last year in the Asian Games that took place in Hangzhou, China. After consulting with Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, a well-known surgeon in Mumbai, she opted for a six-month rest. Racing against time, Chanu recovered for the Paris Games.

Vijay Sharma, the national coach, has now confirmed that Chanu would not be a part of the world championship and rather, would focus on her rehabilitation to become fit for preparations before the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games two years later.

“Mira is still undergoing rehab after the Paris Olympics and will not participate in this World Championship,” Sharma told PTI.

“It is crucial for her to recover fully, as we need to begin preparation for the 2026 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,” Sharma added.

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Mirabai Chanu yet to win Asian Games medal

Chanu has won medals in the Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Championships and Asian Championships, but a medal in the Asian Games has eluded her.

Back in 2021, Chanu became the first Indian weightlifter to win silver at the Olympics after lifting a total of 210 kg in the women’s 49kg category. She also became the second Indian after Karnam Malleswari to bag an Olympic medal in weightlifting.

But she missed out agonizingly in Paris after finishing fourth after lifting only 199kg (88 kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk). China’s Hou Zhihui successfully defended her title with an overall lift of 206kg (89kg in snatch and 117kg in clean and jerk).