Saikhom Mirabai Chanu on Wednesday became the first Indian in over two decades to claim a gold medal at the World weightlifting championship, exorcising the ghosts of her forgettable outing at the Rio Olympics.
Chanu lifted 85kg in snatch and 109kg in clean and jerk to total an impressive 194kg in the 48kg category and in the process set a new National record in clean-and-jerk. Her own previous record was 108kg in June this year.
Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleswari had won the top prize in the Worlds twice — in 1994 and 1995.
Thailand’s Sukcharoen Thunya took the silver medal with a total lift of 193, while Segura Ana Iris of Colombia bagged bronze with 182kg.
Chanu’s outing here was very different from the way things panned out in Rio last year when she put up a disappointing performanc.
She could not get an overall total in women’s 48kg after failing to lift the weight in any of her three attempts in clean & jerk section.
President and PM’s pat
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted their congratulations on Chanu’s gold-medal winning effort.
The President’s Office said in a tweet, “Congratulations Mirabai Chanu for winning a gold medal in the World Weightlifting Championship. India is so proud of you. And congratulations Manipur for giving the country such a wonderful series of champion sportswomen!”
“India is proud of Mirabai Chanu, who has won a gold at the World Weightlifting Championship. Congratulations and best wishes for her future endeavours,” PM Modi wrote on his Twitter handle.