Guwahati: Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu looked like a pale shadow of herself at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Jinju, South Korea on Friday. Back in action after completing her five-month rehabilitation at the National Institute of Sports (NIS) in Patiala, Mirabai finished sixth on the overall leaderboard after a modest effort of 194 kg (85 kg in snatch and 109 kg in Clean & Jerk) in women’s 49 kg category.
To put things in context, this is the lowest total for Mirabai in six years. Her personal best is 88kg in snatch and 119kg in the clean and jerk.
The 28-year-old Indian, who won a silver medal at the World Championships in December 2022 with an overall lift of 200kg (87kg +113kg) had planned to go easy after completing her rehab process.
Mirabai’s only medal at the Asian Championships so far has come at the 2020 edition in Tashkent where she won a bronze for a total lift of 205kg, which included the world record clean and jerk of 119kg.
The diminutive Manipuri lifter managed a solitary successful lift of 85kgs in Snatch in her first attempt. Her next two attempts of 88kgs each were foul. The effort placed her in fifth place in the Snatch division.
In clean and jerk, Mirabai successfully hoisted 109kgs in her first attempt before forfeiting the next two attempts to end up at the sixth spot. Mirabai had registered 115 kg in her second attempt, which she could have easily lifted, considering the Clean & Jerk division to be her pet event, and holds the world record holder in it.
Battling a chronic back issue since 2020, Chanu has been eyeing the magic mark of 90kg mark in Snatch. With the Asian Games scheduled in September-October, her decision to abort the competition after the first attempt in C&J naturally means she wants to protect herself and focus on regaining her peak before the continental games in Hangzhou.
Reigning world champion Jiang Huihua of China won the gold medal with a combined lift of 207kg (94kg+113kg). Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Hou Zhihui of China settled for silver with 204kg (93kg+111kg). Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao claimed bronze for a total effort of 200kg (90 kg+110 kg).
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The Asian Weightlifting Championships 2023 is the second in the series of qualifying events for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. With her effort, Mirabai improved her score in the Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) to 400, and finds herself at the second spot in the list, trailing behind leader Jiang Huihua with 413.
The list of 10 qualified athletes in each Olympic weight category (maximum one per country) will be published by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) at the end of the qualification period for the Paris Olympics on April 28, 2024.
Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallists Jeremy Lalrinninga (men’s 67kg) and Achinta Sheuli (men’s 73kg) will be in action later in the competition.
Also Read | Mirabai, Indian lifters aim at improving Olympic qualification ranking at Asian C’ship