Mirabai Chanu Calls Japan Her Happy Hunting Ground After Asian Games Silver
Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu celebrated her long-awaited Asian Games medal by calling Japan her “happy hunting ground” after winning silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Mirabai lifted a total of 198kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. Her performance earned her second place behind North Korea’s Ri Song-gum, who took the gold medal.
The silver was particularly special for Mirabai as she had waited more than a decade to win an Asian Games medal. She finished ninth at her Asian Games debut in 2014 and missed the 2018 edition because of injury. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, she came close again but finished fourth.
Her latest achievement finally completed a major gap in her impressive career. Mirabai already has an Olympic silver medal, three World Championship medals including one gold, several Commonwealth Games titles and an Asian Championships bronze.
Japan has now become an important part of Mirabai’s career. She won Olympic silver at the Tokyo 2020 Games, which were held in Japan, and returned to the country to win another major international medal at the Asian Games.
Mirabai said the result brought relief after years of waiting and hard work. Her career has been marked by injuries and difficult periods, but she repeatedly returned to competition through careful preparation and rehabilitation.
The weightlifter also credited her longtime coach Vijay Sharma for playing an important role in her success. Sharma has worked with Mirabai through several major competitions and helped her prepare for international events.
Mirabai also defended the ability of Indian coaches and said her own career was evidence that Indian coaches can produce athletes capable of winning medals at the highest level. She stressed that the focus should be on developing strong coaching systems from the grassroots level rather than depending only on foreign coaches.
According to Mirabai, young athletes need access to qualified coaches from an early stage. Better training at the grassroots level, combined with proper sports infrastructure and support systems, can help India build a stronger pipeline of athletes.
The discussion comes as India continues to strengthen its sports development programmes. The new Khelo India Scheme includes measures aimed at improving sports governance and coaching standards. One of the proposed initiatives is the National Coach Accreditation Board, which is intended to create common standards for coach qualifications and training.
For Mirabai, the Asian Games silver is more than another medal. It represents the end of a long wait and another major achievement in a career shaped by determination, recovery and sustained hard work.