Mirabai Chanu, a champion winning medals, global fans
It’s close to 9pm in Birmingham, more than two hours after Mirabai Chanu has won the Commonwealth Games gold. After putting in every ounce of her power into four successful lifts adding up to 394kg and two unsuccessful ones of 205kg, you would probably excuse her for trying to find an escape from the exhaustive world of fan selfies and autograph requests.
But here was Mirabai crouching to pose with a young Indian-origin girl, steering herself behind a banner for a local volunteer’s request of a funky picture setting, bringing a smile as fresh as from the podium for the umpteen demands for a click till each one of them had been met. She even performed a split with an English kid interested in gymnastics who had come to watch the Indian do her thing in weightlifting.
In the modern hashtag sporting world of Instagram lives and YouTube videos, finding a people’s champion can be rare; a fan favourite who takes out time for that particular fan in person and not just on TV screens. Mirabai is one, even more so globally after her Tokyo Olympics feat.
Fans see an achiever in Mirabai, Mirabai sees a friend in fans.
“When fans come to me and recognize me, it’s very important for me. I also feel proud, makes me feel that I have achieved something in life if they are able to recognise me,” Mirabai says. “They give me so much love. They treat me like their friend. For me, friends are very important in life, people who love me for who I am and support me.”
Surely, though, after an afternoon of high-quality weightlifting, evening of post-victory rituals and recovery sessions, you could turn your back on them at some point to call it a night?
“Mein unko na nahi bol sakti (I can’t say no to them). They talk to me with so much love, I can never say no. For me, audience is very important. It’s because of them that this medal means so much. They have a different look on their face when they see me. Acha lagta hai (I like it). I feel happy that people come to meet me,” she says.
Her Tokyo silver has meant those people aren’t just restricted to the 27-year-old’s home country. They are spread across far and wide — from Tashkent to Singapore to Birmingham. A couple of young Englishmen walk up to Mirabai and complement her on her snatch efforts on Saturday. “Thank you so much,” Mirabai replies repeatedly. They then hesitantly ask if she would be okay clicking a picture with them. Mirabai willingly obliges.
Mirabai can herself feel the shift in popularity, not just mathematically but geographically too.
“Yes, that has changed for me after Tokyo. There are so many fans who follow me, so many who recognize me, so many who support me, so many who motivate me from all over the world. I feel very good about it, for now,” Mirabai chuckles.
Mirabai’s deep connect with the fans also made her tear up at the podium while India’s national anthem was being sung by the Indian spectators at the NEC Hall. “It was the best feeling for me. It’s the first time I saw something like this and felt this kind of support from the audience, all of us singing the national anthem together,” she says.
In all the fan-fulfilling that followed, Mirabai says she hasn’t yet spoken to her mother post the final. “Kaha time mila hai (where have I found the time),” she says.
For the Mirabai Chanu fan, though, there’s plenty.
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