Chanu breaks 22-year jinx, lifts gold at Worlds

New Delhi, November 30 

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu today became the first Indian in over two decades to claim a gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, USA, exorcising the ghosts of her forgettable outing at the Rio Olympics. Chanu, who is employed with the Indian Railways, lifted 85kg in snatch and 109kg in clean and jerk to total an impressive 194kg in the 48kg category, setting a new national record in the process.

“What I’ve achieved today would not have been possible without the guidance of my coach Vijay Sharma. Me and my coach left no stone unturned in our quest to taste success at the top level,” said Saikhom, the 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist.

“It was disappointing I could not win a medal in Rio. I made mistakes (in Rio) and I am still sad about that. This medal has erased that sadness. I will work on my weaknesses and try to win medals in the CWG and Asian Games next year and the Tokyo Olympics.”

With a lift of 85kg, Saikhom finished second in snatch but bagged the top position in clean & jerk to clinch the gold in a field of 20 lifters. Thailand’s Sukcharoen Thunya won the silver medal with a total lift of 193kg, while Segura Ana Iris bagged the bronze with 182kg.

With a personal best of 192kg, Saikhom entered the competition as a strong medal contender and her quest for the gold was made a little easier by the absence of Thailand’s Sopita Tanasan, the 48kg gold medallist at the Rio Olympics. 

Two months back, Saikhom booked a berth for next year’s Commonwealth Games after a winning gold at the Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championship in Australia. She broke the Commonwealth record in snatch event with a lift of 85kg, bettering her own record by one kg. Olympics bronze medallist Karnam Malleshwari had won the top prize in the World Championships twice — in 1994 and 1995. Kunjarani Devi also won medals at the World Championships 1989 to 1999, but the gold always eluded her.

“It is a great achievement. In fact, this is a bigger achievement than the Olympics because World Championships is much tougher, with a bigger and stronger pool of players,” said Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Secretary General Sahdev Yadav.

Know Saikhom

Age 23

Hails from Imphal, Manipur 

Height: 4’11’’

Weight 48kg

Second Indian after Karnam Malleswari to win a gold at World Weightlifting Championships

Lifted 194kg, 85 snatch, 109 clean and jerk, a new national record

Other Laurels

Gold, International Youth Championship, 2011

Commonwealth Games silver medallist, 2014

Gold, South Asian Games 2016