CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Mirabai Chanu wins Asian Games silver, ends 28-year medal wait
Indian star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has created history at the Asian Games 2026. She won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event. Chanu lifted a total of 198kg, with a best of 87kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk.
With this medal, India’s 28-year-long wait for a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games came to an end. Earlier, Karnam Malleswari had won a silver medal for India at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. Since then, Indian weightlifters had not been able to secure a podium finish at the Asian Games.
The medal is also extremely special for Mirabai Chanu. She has previously won an Olympic silver, a World Championships medal and several gold medals at the Commonwealth Games. The Asian Games medal has now been added to the major achievements of her career.
Chanu’s previous performances at the Asian Games had not brought her a medal. In 2014, she finished ninth, while in 2018 she withdrew from the competition due to injury. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, she finished fourth. This time in Nagoya, she ended her wait by winning the silver medal.
In the event, North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won the gold medal with a total lift of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diyani Tri claimed the bronze medal.
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