CHENNAI: India's ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has every medal in her trophy cabinet except a podium finish at the Asian Games. It's more than a decade since she first competed at the quadrennial continental event but somehow the medal eluded her even as she won the World Championships and a silver at the Olympics — not to mention three consecutive gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
In her maiden Asiad appearance in 2014 she finished ninth and missed the next edition due to severe back injury. The previous Games, which were held in 2023, turned out to be her best in terms of performance as she finished fourth despite struggling with injuries.
Mirabai, who turned 32 last month, will be desperate to add that missing Asian Games medal to her CV when the competition begins in Nagoya, Japan. But there is a subplot too as the competition will also serve as selection trials for the participating Indian weightlifters for the upcoming World Championships and two LA 2028 Olympic Games Qualifiers.
The Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) sent a list comprising nine lifters (five women and four men) for the Asian Games but only five out of them made the final cut. With the Worlds scheduled in Ningbo, China from October 27 to November 8 and two Olympic Qualifiers following it (1st in Doha, Qatar from December 11 to 20 and second in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in March), the IWLF announced selection trials to pick Indian team for these events. Earlier they were supposed to be held on September 4 at NIS Patiala but eventually moved ahead by six days.
Given the proximity between the trials and the Asian Games, the federation decided that those competing in the latter event would not be required to take part in the trials. Instead, it said the lifters' show at the Asian Games would be considered for selection for the three above-mentioned marquee events. It's here where things get a bit complicated for Mirabai. While she is scheduled to compete in the 49kg weight category in Japan, she has to move to 53kg as that's the Olympic weight division where she eventually has to participate. For the Asian Games, Gyaneshwari Yadav will be India's representative in the 53kg.
"Asian Games-bound lifters don't have to compete in the trials. In fact, their performances in Japan will be considered for selection in the upcoming events including Worlds and Olympic Qualifiers," Sahdev Yadav, IWLF president, told this daily. It means Mirabai will not only be competing against her rivals in the 49kg but she will also have to outdo her compatriot Gyaneshwari in terms of total lift at the Asian Games to book a place in the Indian squad.
In snatch, Mirabai's best is 89kg while it's 119kg in the clean and jerk. Her overall best is 205kg. Gyaneshwari, meanwhile, secured a silver medal in the 53kg at the 2026 Commonwealth Games with her best lifts in each section (88kg in snatch, 111kg in C&J taking the total to 199kg). In the same competition, Mirabai, who took part in 48kg weight category, lifted 85kg and 105kg in snatch, and clean and jerk sections respectively to win the gold easily with the total lift of 190kg. If past records are considered, Mirabai is a runaway winner but it will all boil down to how she performs in the high-pressure contest in the Asian Games.
“To be honest, the competition in the Commonwealth Games was not tough for me. I did not have to put in a lot of effort at Glasgow. The real test lies at the Asian Games,” Mirabai told media persons recently. “The strongest lifters in my weight category (49kg) come from Asia and you will get a glimpse of the Olympics in Japan,” she added.
A quest for an elusive medal coupled with an opportunity to qualify for the Olympics, which probably could be her last appearance in the tournament, could drive Mirabai to give her best in Japan. Top weightlifters from across the Asian continent and her compatriot Gyaneshwari, who idolises the Manipuri, stand between her and a long-awaited podium finish and also a place in the Indian squad.
India's squad at Asian Games
Women: Mirabai Chanu (49kg), Gyaneshwari Yadav (53kg), S Nirupama Devi (61kg), Harjinder Kaur (69kg)
Man: Rishikanta Singh (60kg)
Upcoming events
IWF World Championships in Ningbo, China from October 27 to November 8
1st IWF Qualifier for LA 2028, Doha Qatar from Dec 11 to 20
2nd IWF Qualifier for LA 2028, Tashkent, Uzbekistan in March (dates not announced yet)