Mirabai Chanu to shift to 53kg category for 2028 Olympics, says "I'm confident"

New Delhi [India], November 16 (ANI): India's ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu stated that she has been competing in the 48-49kg category and will need to move to the 53kg category for the 2028 Olympics due to a change in weight classes. She expressed confidence in her ability to participate in the 2028 event.

Chanu, who won a silver medal in the women's 49kg division at Tokyo 2020 and finished fourth in the same division at Paris 2024, will no longer have the class as an option in Los Angeles. The lowest women's weightlifting category at the LA 2028 Olympics will now be 53kg.

While speaking to ANI, Mirabai Chanu said, "I've been competing in the 48-49 category for a long time. I'm still competing in 48. Then there's a new category coming up in 49, and it's starting at 53 in the Olympics. I'm confident I'll be participating in the 2028 Olympics."

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has confirmed the 12 new divisions for LA 2028, with six divisions each for men and women. Paris 2024 had five for each gender.

LA 2028 Olympics weightlifting weight categories:

Men: 65kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg, +110kg

Women: 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, the weightlifting categories were 61kg, 73kg, 89kg, 102kg, and +102kg in men, and 49kg, 59kg, 71kg, 81kg, and +81kg in women.

Last month, Chanu claimed a silver medal overall with a total of 199kg in the World Weightlifting Championships in Førde, Norway.

The 31-year-old ace Indian weightlifter also won a gold medal in the 48kg category at the 2017 edition of the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim. She also won silver in the 49kg category at the 2022 edition of the competition in Bogota. (ANI)

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