Mirabai Chanu wins maiden Asian Games medal, bags silver in 49kg category

For decades, the missing piece of Mirabai Chanu's collection of medals remained a solitary silver from the Asian Games. Her resume read like a litany of accolades: Olympic silver, world champion, Commonwealth golds. Yet, the Asian Games eluded her. Now, she has rectified that omission. On Wednesday, in Nagoya, Chanu claimed the silver medal in the women's 49kg category, finally completing her collection of major medals.

She also etched a historic moment for India, as she became the nation's first Asian Games weightlifting medallist since Karnam Malleswari achieved silver in Bangkok in 1998. This victory encapsulates the essence of Chanu's career: unwavering perseverance despite setbacks. Her Olympic debut in Rio did not yield a valid lift. Five years later in Tokyo, she tasted success but narrowly missed out on the podium.

The Hangzhou Asian Games brought another heartbreak, as she finished fourth. Undeterred, she returned to Japan for Nagoya, where she secured the silver medal. At 32, the oldest competitor in the field of seven weightlifters, Chanu lifted a combined total of 198 kg—87 kg in the snatch and 111 kg in the clean and jerk—to claim the silver behind North Korea's Ri Song-gum, who completed her Asian Games golden trifecta.

Indonesia's Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri secured the bronze, lifting 191 kg (87 kg in snatch, 103 kg in clean and jerk).