New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh): Mirabai Chanu finally added an Asian Games medal to her decorated career after the Indian weightlifter finished second in the women’s 49kg event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday.
The Olympic silver medallist registered an overall lift of 198kg to take the silver medal. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum produced a dominant performance to win gold with 215kg, while Wijayana claimed bronze.
The result was particularly significant for Chanu after her disappointing campaign at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where she finished fourth following an injury that prevented her from completing her final clean and jerk attempt.
Chanu Finishes With 198kg Total
Chanu made a confident start to the competition, completing each of her three snatch attempts.
She lifted 83kg on her opening attempt before improving to 85kg and then 87kg.
The Indian star then successfully lifted 107kg in her opening clean and jerk attempt. She followed it up with a successful 111kg lift on her second attempt, taking her combined tally to 198kg.
That total proved sufficient for Chanu to secure the silver.
Another Milestone in Chanu’s Career
The Asian Games silver adds another prestigious medal to Chanu’s collection.
She is now the second Indian weightlifter, after Karnam Malleswari, to win medals at all the major international weightlifting events, including the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Championships.
Chanu arrived at the Asian Games in strong form after winning gold at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games.
Her latest podium finish also marks a turnaround from her experience in Hangzhou, where an injury denied her a chance to complete her final clean and jerk attempt.
India Pick Up Medals in Shooting and Soft Tennis
Chanu’s silver was among several medals won by India across disciplines on Wednesday.
The Indian women’s skeet team of Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan won bronze with a combined score of 331. The result also gave India its first Asian Games medal in the women’s skeet team event.
The men’s skeet squad of Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Mairaj Ahmed Khan and Bhavtegh Singh Gill also finished third with 346 points. Naruka went on to qualify for the individual final.
Jay Meena ensured another medal for India in soft tennis after reaching the men’s singles semi-finals. His defeat against Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka did not affect his medal status, with all four semi-finalists guaranteed a podium finish.
Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker also reached the women’s 10m air pistol final, where she finished fifth.
Indian Athletes Continue Strong Run
India’s campaign remained active in several other sports.
The women’s kabaddi team defeated Iran 37-23 after earlier beating Bangladesh, while the men’s team also recorded a victory against Bangladesh in Group A.
Boxer Ankush progressed to the round of 16 in the men’s 80kg category after a 5-0 win over Bahrain’s Hamsa Vogel.
In squash, Abhay Singh opened his men’s singles campaign with a commanding victory over Thailand’s Arkaradet Arkarahirunya.
Indian rowers also advanced in multiple events, with Balraj Panwar reaching the men’s single sculls final. Satnam Singh and Salman Khan progressed to the men’s double sculls final.
The canoe sprint contingent also made progress, with Megha Pradeep advancing to the women’s canoe single 200m semi-final. Indian teams moved forward in the men’s and women’s kayak double 500m events as well.
In table tennis mixed doubles, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale, along with Yashaswini Ghorpade and Harmeet Desai, registered wins in their respective matches.
India’s athletes also competed in fencing, swimming and sepaktakraw, with results varying across events.
For Mirabai Chanu, however, the day belonged to a long-awaited Asian Games podium finish — one that adds another major chapter to her already decorated weightlifting career.
