NEW DELHI: A new weight category and months of preparation. But for India’s star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, it was business as usual at the Singapore International meet on Friday morning.
Taking to the mat for the first time since her historic Tokyo Olympics silver medal seven months ago, Mirabai strode into the Toa Payoh Sports Hall exuding same exuberance and confidence which has brought her immense success over the years to clinch a creditable gold in the women’s 55kg weight division, en route her qualification for the Birmingham CWG in July-August this year. Mirabai had won the silver in the women’s 49kg category at Tokyo 2020.
Mirabai, whose preferred weight category has been the 49kg and the one in which she has already secured her qualification for the CWG, opted to compete in the new 55kg division on the advice of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF) in order to maximise the country’s chances of securing more medals in the discipline at the Games.
With her CWG qualification in the 55kg division, former World Junior bronze medallist Jhilli Dalabehera will spearhead the Indian challenge in the 49kg category. Jhilli had secured her Games spot after winning a silver at the Commonwealth Championships in Uzbekistan, held simultaneously with the World Weightlifting Championships in Uzbekistan in December last.
Similarly, their teammate Bindyarani Devi will take the mat in the women’s 59kg category at the CWG. She also won gold in a depleted field in Singapore on Friday to qualify for the Games. At the Commonwealth meet in Uzbekistan, Bindyarani had competed in the 55kg category. The Singapore International was the last qualification event for the weightlifters to secure their berths for the CWG.
IWLF president Sahdev Yadav told TOI from Singapore that this arrangement has only been made for the Birmingham Games and Mirabai, the reigning CWG champion in 49kg, will return to her original weight category for the Asian Games in China’s Hangzhou.
At the Singapore meet, Mirabai lifted a total of 191kg (86kg in snatch+105kg in clean & jerk) to comfortably win the gold. She lifted 81kg, 84kg and 86kg in her three snatch attempts. Australia’s Jessica Sewastenko finished a distant second with her best effort of 167kg (77kg+90kg) and Malaysia’s Elly Cassandra Englebert stood third with a total lift of 165kg (75kg+90kg). Others Indians in the fray, men’s weightlifters Sanket Sagar (55kg) and Rishikanta Singh, too, booked their CWG berths.
At the CWG, however, Mirabai will have her task cut out in the 55kg category. She will be up against a formidable challenger in Nigerian team captain Adenike Olarinoye, who finished with a silver at the recent Worlds. Olarinoye had lifted a total of 203kg (90kg+113kg) for her silver at the Worlds. In Singapore, Mirabai could only manage 191kg. For her to dream about a gold in Birmingham, Mirabai would have to repeat her Tokyo performance where she had lifted a total of 202kg (87kg+115kg).
