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India's star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu exhibited remarkable resilience on her way to winning the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category at the 2022 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships in Bogota on Tuesday evening.
According to information reaching here, the 27-year-old Tokyo Olympic Games silver medalist from Manipur overcame a niggle on the wrist during the competition to ensure that she doesn’t return home without a medal.
The Indian lifted 87kg in snatch and 113kg in clean and jerk for a total of 200kg, which fetched her silver medal behind China’s Jiang Huihua, who won gold with a total lift of 206kg.
However, China’s pre-event favorite Hou Zhihui, a double world record holder, took home bronze with a total lift of 198kg.
Having a wrist injury and lifting weights on the barbells that is twice the body weight with one smooth action is a challenging task. But, as expected, the determined Mirabai gave her best on the given day to step on the podium.
The Indian team at Bogota comprises four weightlifters. India’s Bindyarani Devi will be seen in action in women’s 59kg. She won a silver medal in 55kg at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, but has shifted to the upper weight category to compete at the world event.
In the men’s group, the Commonwealth Games champion in men’s 73kg, Achinta Sheuli, and Gurdeep Singh, the winner of bronze medalist in plus 109kg at the Commonwealth Games, are the two male lifters.
India’s promising weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga will not compete in Bogota as he is yet to recover from an elbow injury sustained during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July. Apart from Lalrinnunga, the Commonwealth Games silver medalist in men’s 55kg, Sanket Sargar, is also undergoing rehab in Patiala. The youngster from Sangali in Maharashtra, too, got injured on his way to winning a silver medal in Birmingham.
Bogota’s World Championships is the first Paris Olympic Games qualification event. As per the world governing body in the weightlifting Olympic qualification system, an athlete will have to compete in two mandatory events - the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup.
The aspiring weightlifters aiming for a 2024 Olympics berth will also have to compete in three other tournaments sanctioned by the IWF, including the 2023 continental championships. The best total in the above competitions will be considered for the overall ranking system for the 2024 Olympic Games.
A total of 10 weight categories, including five in the women’s group, will feature at the Paris Olympic Games.
