We are proud that Mirabai Chanu has won the silver medal in Tokyo Olympics 2000 in Weight Lifting 49kg category. Let us highlight her journey to this success and few unknown facts about her life.
Chanu also competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics on the second day. ‘DNF,’ which stands for ‘Did Not Finish,’ was written next to her name at the end of the race. Chanu had to tearfully bid farewell to the inaugural Olympics.
Chanu sustained significant injuries as a result of the incident. His career was previously put on hold due to a waist injury. She was in a condition of mental anguish. Later, Chanu sought the assistance of psychologists.
2016 Rio Olympics a Nightmare for Chanu
She landed on the second day of the Olympics five years later. There were no tears in her eyes this time, simply an eternal grin on her face. With the aid of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu from a rural hamlet in Manipur, India opened the book during the Tokyo Olympics. Chanu took silver in the weightlifting competition. The amazing comeback of this female weightlifter from India was witnessed by the entire globe. The 23rd of July, 2021, was a memorable day for Chanu, Charu’s family, and India.
Recent Success Increase Our Hope
She was considered one of the medal contenders this time because to his recent success. However, Olympic regulations state that prior performances have no place in the competition. Everything hinges on how you performed on that particular day. Chanu, on the other hand, did not disappoint. She’ll be bringing the medal home with her.
Chanu and Her Family
Chanu was born on 7 August 1994 in the village of Nambak Kakching in Imphal, Manipur. From birth, her physical strength is more than five daughters. Her parents understood her strength. The Chanu family could cut wood in the forest for fuel. Her elder brother could not carry the load of heavy wood. But Chanu would easily carry it home on her shoulders.
Success began but weight lifting was not her favorite
Chanu’s first favorite sport was archery. But by the will of his parents, she was admitted to weightlifting at the age of 12. She started training at Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal. From there to Manipur Sports Authority of India (SAI), from there to Patiala. Chanu’s triumph continues. She got success after one year of practice. She won gold in the youth championship in Chhattisgarh. Chanu got her first big success at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Silver won in the 48 kg category. Then Kunjarani broke Devi’s 12-year record and lifted 192 kg. She became confident in Rio with a great rhythm.
Failure in Rio Olympic
All dreams vanished there. Chanu failed to lift weights three times in the clean and jerk sections. She was able to lift weights only once in Sanch. As a result, there was no number next to her name. It was written ‘DNF’ after her name.
Chanu turned around the following year. She won gold at the 2016 World Championships. She lifted a total of 194 kg with snatch and clean and jerk. Success came next year too. She went to the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and got gold. There she lifted more 2 kg.
Fight Back and some record breaking performance
She came to Kolkata for the national championship a year ago. Chanu broke the national record for the most weight lifted with a total of 203 kg. She spent two months in St. Louis, Missouri, this year undergoing intensive training. Chanu remained focused on her goal even as the rest of the world was thrown into chaos by the virus. In an interview three days before the Olympics, she expressed confidence that she would win a medal. Finally, her fantasy has come true.
In 2016, she received the Padmashri and the Rajiv Gandhi Khelaratna award.