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Indian weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu said she was very happy and proud after ending her long wait for an Asian Games medal by securing silver in the womens 49 kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday.
Speaking to ANI after her podium finish, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist said the medal fulfilled a long-standing dream. "I am very happy. I have been waiting for this day for many years. Finally, I have won a silver medal. I am very happy and proud of myself. My dream has come true," Mirabai told ANI. Chanu acknowledged the pressure of competing at the Asian Games after a demanding run of competitions but said she had prepared specifically with the aim of winning a medal. "There was a lot of pressure. The Asian Games are very important for me. It is very difficult for us to play back-to-back competitions. After the Commonwealth Games, I had only one month. This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to win at least one medal in the Asian Games. I prepared very well and won this medal," she said. Asked how she would celebrate her historic achievement, Chanu said she simply wanted to enjoy the moment after years of waiting. "I don't know where to start. I have been waiting for this day for many years. I am very happy and proud of myself. I want to celebrate this day," she said. Chanu secured the silver with a combined lift of 198kg, successfully completing all three of her snatch attempts at 83kg, 85kg and 87kg. In the clean and jerk, she opened with 107 kg before successfully lifting 111 kg in her second attempt to finish with a total of 198 kg. North Koreas Ri Song Gum won the gold with a total of 215kg, while Wijayana claimed the bronze. The medal ended a long wait for Chanu at the Asian Games. She had narrowly missed the podium at Hangzhou 2023 after an injury forced her to withdraw from her final clean and jerk attempt, leaving her fourth. The 32-year-old entered the Aichi-Nagoya Games after winning gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She is also a three-time Commonwealth Games champion and won Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020. With her maiden Asian Games medal, Chanu became the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleshwari to win medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Championships. Born in Nongpok Kakching, Manipur, Chanu began formal weightlifting training in 2008 and went on to establish herself as one of Indias leading weightlifters. Indias medal tally stood at 11, placing the country 13th in the standings, while China led with 77 medals at the time of writing. (ANI)
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