Mirabai dents Chinese wall with Worlds silver
Considering Mirabai Chanu's credentials and stature, the World Championships silver she won in Bogota, Colombia, on Wednesday wasn't really a surprise. The 28-year-old weightlifter, after all, is a dominant force in the 49 kg division, besides being a former world champion and an Olympic silver medallist. However, when she calls it a "dream come true," you know the Worlds silver is a little more than yet another addition to her decorated trophy cabinet.
Chanu lifted a total of 200kg (87kg in snatch and 113kg in clean and jerk) to get the better of reigning Olympic champion Hou Zhihui, whose tally of 198kg (89kg +109kg) won her the bronze. Another Chinese, Jiang Huihua, won her third World Championships gold with a combined lift of 206kg (93kg+113kg).
It was the first instance of Chanu beating a Chinese lifter at a high-level competition, an indicator of the country's absolute dominance in the sport. The 2017 World Championships that Chanu won saw no Chinese representation as their federation was then serving a doping ban. At the Tokyo Olympics, Chanu was bested by Zhihui who lifted an Olympic record 210 kgs.
"It feels extra special to beat an Olympic champion, more so a Chinese. However, I was a bit shocked to see the weights she was lifting,” Chanu said, referring to the ‘modest’ 89kgs Zhihui snatched.
“I mean she is an Olympics champion. She did 94 kgs in Tokyo and I thought she’ll go for that range again. An athlete has her good and bad days, so maybe she was coming off a niggle or hadn't trained properly. Personally, it was always a dream to beat the Chinese in such a competition. It is my first win over a Chinese lifter; a dream come true,” the 28-year-old said.
Chanu's excitement is understandable. The Chinese, simply put, are a bonafide weightlifting powerhouse. They are the joint most successful weightlifting nation at the Olympics (tied with erstwhile Soviet Union on 62 medals), Asian Games (128 medals; Iran, the next best, have 45 fewer), Asian Championships (491 medals. Iran and Kazakhstan are next with 165 each), and World Championships (317 medals. Soviet Union trails at 274). They have led the weightlifting medal count at the Olympics at every edition this century.
Chanu, though, remains largely unaffected by the history and hysteria around the Chinese. Their stranglehold has, in fact, pushed her to raise the bar — literally and metaphorically.
“China have been super strong in this sport for years, but that has somehow never affected me. I have always thought if Chinese girls can lift so much, so can I. There was never a mental block, but since I hadn't beaten them so far, it was always a dream to get the better of them. Now that I have beaten one of them to take silver, the goal is to beat them and win gold. The gap is closing.”
“In every major competition, we know there will be two if not three, world-class Chinese. Lifters from Thailand and Korea are also quite good. Usually, it's a three-way fight between me, the Chinese, and the Koreans. So, my preparations are done accordingly,” Chanu said.
"I’d like to believe that this silver, and beating a Chinese, are a big boost to Indian weightlifting as a whole. It's an important medal. I missed the 2021 Worlds, so I wanted to make up for that," she added.
What makes her feat extra special is the fact that Chanu was struggling with an injured left wrist. The injury, she said, was a result of overburdening of the muscles during training. After her second snatch was deemed a 'no lift', she knew she had to lift "87-88 kgs at least" to give her a shot at the medal.
She went for an 87 kg snatch again, this time wearing a wristband to support the weaker muscles, but the pain kicked in again.
"The pain is sporadic. Sometimes the wrist feels absolutely fine, but sometimes the pain is so much that gripping an unweighted barbell is impossible. It’s particularly troubling during snatch where a closed grip means more engagement of the wrist. When you receive the snatch, that's when the pain really hits. Then, even gripping the bar becomes a problem, Chanu said.
Chanu wobbled under the bar but somehow managed to keep her arms still. She would eventually steady herself and press the weight long enough for the lift to register.
"There was pain, but I managed to block it. All I was thinking was that I don't have to drop the bar. I knew if I pull off that lift, I can easily come in the medal bracket in the clean and jerk. I think the Gods were kind," Chanu, the world record holder in clean and jerk, said.
The Bogota Worlds was the first of six qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Having kicked off her qualifications cycle in style, the ace weightlifter heads into a rehabilitation and strengthening programme designed by Dr. Aaron Horschig.
Her next major stop will be the Asian Championships in Jinju, South Korea, in May followed by Asian Games in Hangzhou.
“It’ll be an important year. I am looking forward to remaining injury free. I also aim to get close to the 90kg mark in snatch and better my clean and jerk world record (119 kg),” she said. And of course, breaching the Chinese wall.
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