Bengaluru: Every time the diminutive Mirabai Chanu lifts an iron bar loaded with weight plates on either side, her followers watch with bated breath, partly due to awe and mostly out of expectation. And Chanu, standing 1.5-meter (4 feet 11 inches), almost always rises to the occasion for the audience to gasp in admiration.
The 29-year-old lived up to the anticipation on the first day of the Tokyo Olympics to open India’s medal tally with a well-deserved silver medal in 2021. This time too, all eyes will be on the ever-smiling Manipuri when she competes in the women’s weightlifting 49 kg category on August 7 inside the South Paris Arena. For someone who is not new to challenges, Chanu is looking to draw strength from the way she made it to the biggest sporting extravaganza, for a third time in a row.
Punching a ticket to the Games this year came with a lot of road blocks, especially after the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou where she injured her hip tendonitis and was seen limping out of the event. A five-month rest had many wondering if it would be the end of Mira's career.
“It was very tough. The doctor asked me to rest and said ‘we will see’ later. Everything was uncertain. Though he said there was no need for an operation, there was anxiety if I would be alright after giving it enough rest,” said Chanu.
“All these negative thoughts during injury breaks are common. To keep myself positive was most challenging.”
To distract the mind from all the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’, Chanu instead decided to channel her focus by doing light workouts in the gym without exerting too much pressure on the pain area. In January this year, the lifter accompanied by long-time coach Vijay Sharma headed to the USA for a month-long rehab training programme under Dr Aron Horschig in St. Lucia.
“We went there for a month because we needed to strengthen the muscles after resting it for 4-5 months. That’s where I began feeling really good and healthy again,” said the Padma Shri Awardee.
The results showed when Chanu made a comeback by lifting a total of 184 kg for a third-place finish at the IWF World Cup in Phuket in April to book a Paris berth. Having cleared the main hurdle, the pupil and coach Sharma would then get down to business in the next few months with a vision to make her the only Indian weightlifter to win a second Olympic medal.
“I have completely recovered from the injury. I'm trying my best to win another medal for India at this year’s Olympics.
“It’s (preparation) going on well. I train for seven hours a day; three sessions a day - 7 am-7.45 am warm-up, jogging, mobility etc; 10 am-12.30 pm weight training and evening 4.30 pm-7.30/ 8 pm training again,” Chanu said.
While clean and jerk has been the flyweight lifter’s strength, she has struggled to push the limits in snatch throughout her career. At Tokyo, Chanu managed 87 kg in snatch before clearing 115 kg in clean & jerk for a combined total of 202 kgs for a silver medal.
“Every lifter has different strengths. Maybe my clean & jerks are good because of better technique than the snatch,” she reasoned.
Another podium finish will be in the reckoning only if she can repeat the heroics and go one better. With three or more competitors in the 200-plus lift range out of the 12 in fray, Chanu has her task cut out. Among them, the Indian considers the Chinese and the Romanian girls as her main contenders.
After the Rio Olympics debacle came the high of Tokyo only to see setbacks last year. But every time Chanu has fallen flat, she has managed to pick herself up again.
“It will be a very tough competition in the 49kg category. We will get to know what will happen only on that day. I will give it my best,” she assured.