Chanu wins, has eye firmly on Worlds
The season might be winding up for most athletes but for Mirabai Chanu, the World Championships are scheduled to be held in December and given that it will be part of the Paris Olympics qualification programme, its importance has increased even more.
That, however, has not curtailed the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist's zest to compete. She enjoys the thrill of competition and at the National Games, she was expectedly the biggest star on stage.
Once she sealed the gold with ease in the women’s 49kg competition, everyone wanted a piece of Chanu at the weightlifting venue in Gandhinagar. From officials to the rapturous crowd, the demand for Chanu was relentless. She bore it all without fuss and with a smile. She was even present at the opening ceremony and shared the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Such was her energy that no one could make out she had not eaten since morning. “My event is always on the first day of the competition, so I usually miss the opening ceremonies. Here I wanted to be part of the opening and carry the flag of Manipur. I really enjoyed myself. In the morning I had to appear for my weight. So right now, I am dying of hunger,” she remarked.
Last month Chanu secured gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. She then spent three weeks in St. Louis, US to work on her strength and conditioning. In the last year, she has spent a considerable time in the US under weightlifter-turned-physical therapist Aaron Horschig to work on her battered body.
Chanu says working with Horschig has made her more aware of her body now. She now takes special care during her training sessions and competitions in particular.
“If I train for seven hours, I dedicate one hour only to do strengthening exercises. I work on each small part of my body. I have to be extra careful during competitions and save myself from injuries. I try to forget the niggles. If you focus on pain, then you can’t give your best.”
After CWG too, Chanu says she hurt her right wrist while training and though she is doing better, she doesn’t want to take any chances.
“Participation was important here because every competition keeps me going. But I know how much load to take and when. After CWG, I went to rehab in the US. I am doing better now.
“In fact, I don’t completely go off training because it can increase chances of injury on return. I am training, there is no break. If I continue with my routine, it helps me in keeping the body in good shape.”
The back-to-back competitions this season were grueling for her but Chanu insists she has saved her best for the Worlds in December.
“It’s been a tough schedule this year but here (Nationals) I wanted to get my confidence going and see how I am feeling. Also, it was important to participate for Manipur. This is my second National Games but it is the first time I have won a gold.
“The target is the Paris Olympics and I would like to qualify as early as possible so that we can plan and train well. In that respect, the World Championships are very important and the competition will be very tough. So I have to save my best for it. I also have the dream of winning an Asian Games gold medal. I missed out at the previous Games because of injury but this time I want to give my best shot,” Chanu says.
Meanwhile, Sanjita Chanu, the two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, is on a comeback trail and was happy to win her second Games medal. She had beaten Chanu in 2015.
“Last time I won the gold in a lower weight category but the level of competition has gone up and (Mira) Chanu has been amazing with her consistency. Still, it matters that we have both won medals for Manipur,” she says.
Gujarat shine
Hosts Gujarat started on a strong note at the National Games with Elavenil Valarivan winning the gold medal in the 10m air rifle. It was Gujarat’s fourth gold, having won three in table tennis.
Tokyo Olympian Elavenil edged Mehuli Ghosh by 0.3 points to set up a gold medal match with top-ranked Tilottama Sen. In the final, Elavenil took a 4-0 lead and finished off with a 16-10 win.
In tennis, Ankita Raina guided Gujarat women’s team to the final, beating Karnataka 2-0. They will take on Maharashtra for the gold medal. Vaidehi Choudhary won the first match 6-3, 6-1 over Vanshita Pathania before Raina closed out the tie with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Sharmada Balu.
In netball, the Gujarat men’s team added a bronze medal.
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