On a comeback trail, lifter Mirabai enjoying the journey
New Delhi, April 9
She heaved her lowest weight in years at the IWF World Cup recently but Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is actually quite chuffed about her performance as she managed it on the back of just a month’s training after enduring a challenging injury breakdown.
With only four months to go for the Paris Olympics, Chanu, who was competing in her first tournament since her Asian Games breakdown, finished 12th at the World Cup. She lifted a total effort of 184kg (81kg+103kg), a whopping 33kg behind China’s Hou Zhihui, who will look to defend her Olympics title. “I was delighted to be back in competition. Everything is okay now, recovery is good. I’m training at 70 per cent,” Chanu said.
An Asian Games medal is the only one that Chanu, who has a personal best of 88kg in snatch and 119kg in clean and jerk, hasn’t been able to get her hands on. She has stood on the podium at the Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Championshis. At the Asiad last year, she not only missed a medal but also suffered hip tendonitis, with less than a year to go for the Olympics. “After the injury, I lifted weights after 4-5 months and I got a lot of confidence,” she said.
In Tokyo, a total effort of 202kg was enough for Chanu to win silver. But with competition increasing, a 205kg-plus total is the minimum she will have to lift. “This time 200kg won’t fetch a medal. Plans are in place but execution needs to be perfect,” coach Vijay Sharma said.
