Mirabai Chanu’s Journey to Weightlifting Glory

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has finally won her first Asian Games medal, taking silver in the women’s 49kg category at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya. The achievement adds another major medal to the decorated career of one of India’s best-known weightlifters.

Chanu’s Asian Games journey has been a difficult one. She made her debut at the 2014 Asian Games, where she finished ninth. She was then forced to miss the 2018 edition because of injury. At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, she finished fourth after suffering an injury during the competition.

Despite these setbacks, Chanu continued to perform strongly at other major international events. She has won medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships and Commonwealth Games, establishing herself as one of India’s leading weightlifters.

Interestingly, weightlifting was not Chanu’s first sporting dream. As a child in Manipur, she wanted to become an archer. She was attracted to the sport because she thought archers looked stylish and impressive.

Her career took an unexpected turn in 2008 when she visited a sports centre in Imphal hoping to receive archery training. However, archery training was not available that day. Instead, she was introduced to weightlifting.

The achievements of fellow Manipuri weightlifter Kunjarani Devi also inspired the young Chanu. She began taking the sport seriously and soon showed that she had the strength and ability to compete at a high level.

Former international weightlifter Anita Chanu played an important role in helping her develop her skills. Under proper guidance and with regular training, Mirabai progressed quickly through the national system.

By 2009, Chanu had won a junior national title and earned a place in the national team. Her progress continued over the following years, eventually taking her to major international competitions.

One of her early major breakthroughs came at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where she won a silver medal in the women’s 48kg category. The result established her as an important young talent in Indian weightlifting.

Chanu later faced another major challenge at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she was unable to complete a successful total in the competition. Rather than ending her career, the disappointment became part of her journey back to the top.

She returned strongly and achieved one of the biggest moments of her career at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category. She also went on to collect multiple Commonwealth Games gold medals and continued to compete successfully at the World Championships.

Her first Asian Games medal had remained one of the few major achievements missing from her career. After finishing ninth in 2014, missing the 2018 Games and finishing fourth in 2023, Chanu finally reached the podium in Nagoya.

Her journey from a young girl who wanted to become an archer to an Olympic and Asian Games medallist is a story of persistence and hard work. Her career also highlights how an unexpected opportunity can sometimes lead an athlete toward a completely different path.

With the Asian Games silver now added to her collection, Chanu has completed another important chapter in her international career. Her story continues to inspire young athletes in Manipur and across India.