Mirabai Chanu wins India’s first Olympic medal in Weightlifting Women’s 49kg category

• ByStartupStory     |    July 24, 2021

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu created history as she became the first Indian weightlifter to win the silver medal when she earned the medal in the women’s 49kg event on Day 1 of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.This is India’s first medal at the Tokyo Games. Chanu is the second weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympics’ medal for India.
Chanu lifted 84kg and 87kg successfully but failed to lift 89kg as she was placed in the second spot after snatch while China’s HOU Zhihu lifted 94kg to create an Olympic record. Mirabai Chanu equaled her personal best in a snatch of 87kg. She lifted 87kg in Snatch when she won the gold medal at the World Championships in 2017.
5 years ago, Mirabai had headed to her maiden Olympic Games at Rio as one of the big Indian hopes, but she suffered a poor outing. Mirabai has the world record of 119kg in clean and jerk at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

The lone Indian weightlifter in Tokyo roared back to form with world championships gold in 2017 and Commonwealth Games gold in 2018. She heads into Tokyo Games after having set the world record in clean and jerk in the women’s 49kg category.
India’s President Ram Nath Kovind congratulated Chanu on her outstanding win. Taking to his Twitter, he wrote, “Heartiest congratulations to Mirabai Chanu for starting the medal tally for India in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 by winning a silver medal in weightlifting.”

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