In the women’s 49kg weightlifting category at the 36th National Games in Gandhinagar on Friday, Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu triumphed as predicted, taking home the gold medal with a total lift of 191 kg.
Mirabai Chanu Wins Gold in Weightlifting
After snatching 84 kg and clean & jerking 107 kg, Mirabai, who had won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August, won the competition.
A left wrist issue that Mirabai admitted to have while competing in her second National Games prevented her from attempting both parts on her third attempt.
“During training at NIS, Patiala, I recently hurt my left wrist, therefore I took care not to put it at additional risk. December will soon bring around the World Championships, she noted.
I am honoured to represent Manipur in the National Games, and my excitement was heightened when I was asked to head the delegation at the Opening Ceremony. Since my event begins early the next day, it can be chaotic to attend the opening ceremonies, but I felt I had to push myself this time, she said.
The small Manipuri chooses to live in the present and concentrate on the World Championships, where she anticipates competing against weightlifters from the Asian weightlifting superpowers. She is hoping for her maiden podium place at the Asian Games next year.
At the Mahatma Mandir in this city, Sanjita Chanu settled for the silver medal with a total lift of 187 kg, while Sneha Soren of Odisha won the bronze with a total lift of 169 kg.
A clean effort of 84 kilogrammes in her second lift gave Mirabai a lead of 3 kilogrammes over her Manipuri statemate Sanjita, who could only lift 80 kilogrammes and 82 kilogrammes in her first two efforts. Mirabai quickly gained the upper hand by pushing the bar to 81 kilogrammes in her very first try.
The third effort by Sanjita to lift 84 kg was ruled a foul. Mirabai decided to conserve her energies and skipped the third try.
Sanjita raised the weight in the clean and jerk exercise from 95 kilogrammes on her first try to 100 kilogrammes and then 105 kilogrammes, all three of which received approval from the judges.
