Mirabai Chanu - Career, achievements and more as Indian weightlifter aims for another podium finish at Paris Olympics 2024

The Paris Olympics 2024 is only a few days away and 29-year-old Indian weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu will be one of the country's biggest hopes, aiming for another Olympic medal at the world event.

In this article, The Sporting News looks at the Indian weightlifter's career, her achievements and more importantly, her form ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024.

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Who is Mirabai Chanu?

Born on August 8, 1994, in Nongpok Kakching, Manipur, India,  Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is one of the finest weightlifters the country has ever produced. She is a three-time Commonwealth Games medalist, an Olympics silver medalist and is also a former world champion.

At Tokyo 2020, she won a silver medal to become only the second Indian woman, after PV Sindhu, to clinch second place at the Olympics. She is the second Indian weightlifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari, who had won it in the year 2000.

Mirabai has six siblings and was born into a family that lived in a village near the city of Imphal, who struggled to make ends meet. At the age of 12, her family discovered her strength, with her ability to easily lift a bundle of firewood, which was even considered too heavy for her elder brother to do.

She was inspired and tried to emulate her idol, Kunjarani Devi, who hailed from her state of Manipur, was a decorated Indian weightlifter, who has several accolades to her name, including winning the silver medal at weightlifting world champions 7 times, between the years 1989 to 1997.

Mirabai Chanu - Early career

Mirabai trained at the Sports Academy in Manipur, and she had to hitch rides with truck drivers, to travel from her home to the academy. After winning the Olympic silver medal in 2020, she invited the truck drivers to offer her gratitude and also touched their feet as a sign of respect.

Her first major breakthrough came at the age of 18, when she won a gold at the Commonwealth championship in Malaysia, in 2013.

In the following year, she won a silver medal in the 48kg weight category, representing India at the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014.

Disappointment at the Rio Olympics 2016

Although she had qualified for the Rio Olympics 2016 after shattering a 12-year national record, she could not register a single valid successful attempt.

That pushed Mirabai to the brink of depression and she even contemplated early retirement, but credited her mother for bringing back her spirits, to keep her motivated.

Making a comeback at the World Weightlifting Championships

Between 2017 to 2020, she competed in several events including the World Championships, Commonwealth championships and the Commonwealth Games in 2018. She won three golds and a silver in these events.

At the 2017 World Weightlifting Championship in Anaheim, USA, Mirabai became the first Indian weightlifter in over two decades to claim a gold medal. She followed up with another gold at the CWG 2018 in Australia, which was a major boost to her confidence.

However, she suffered an injury to her lower back right after the event, which meant that she had to miss the Asian Games and World Championship events that year.

She made a return from injury to participate in the World Championship in 2019 but managed to only finish fourth in the standings. When the pain of her previous injury continued to persist, she flew to the USA to meet, Aaron Horschig, a strength and conditioning expert, who guided her to a full recovery.

Mirabhai Chanu opens India's account at Tokyo Olympics 2020

The 2020 Olympics and the 2020 Asian Championships which was postponed to the year 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

In April 2021, she won a bronze at the Asian weightlifting champions in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and thereby, secure qualification to the Olympics in the 49kg category.

In July 2021, Mirabai competed at the Tokyo Olympics and made history by winning a silver medal for the country, where she managed a total lift of 202 kg at the event. It was also new Olympic record, as she successfully lifted 115 kg in clean and jerk.

Later, at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, she went on to win another medal, this time in gold.

Mirabai Chanu - Form ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics

At the World Championships in 2022, Mirabai Chanu, won a silver medal after a combined lift of 200kg, despite suffering from a wrist injury. 

She participated in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou even though she was not considered fully fit to compete and managed to only finish fourth with a combined lift of 191kg.

"It will be a challenge and I reckon 205 kg overall should fetch her a medal," he coach Vijay Sharma said of her recovery. "We still have enough time to keep working on her, improving daily. We are very confident."

According to her coach, they are still in touch with the strength and condition expert, Aaron Horschig, who had helped her recover from injury in 2019: "We have been following whatever Aaron has said. She is pain-free and will do well."

During a media interaction last month, Mirabai said: "I take care not to pick up an injury during my training. I am careful about my technique, strength (training) and diet. What I eat and recovery are important. What exercises I do and which muscles I focus on are also important."

"I have faced a lot in the last three years due to injuries. The competitors have changed. I wonder whether I can medal again. But if I give my 100 per cent, then I can get a medal for the country," she added.

List of major achievements of Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu

Here is a list of medals won by the Indian weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu in major competitions, in her career so far:

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