After 28 Years, Mirabai Chanu Lifts India Back to the Asian Games Medal Table

For nearly three decades, Indian weightlifting had been waiting for another Asian Games medal. That wait finally ended in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with Mirabai Chanu delivering a landmark silver in the women’s 49kg category.The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist lifted a combined 198kg, giving India its first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari’s silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games. For Chanu, the achievement also filled one of the few gaps in an already decorated career.India’s 28-Year Medal DroughtThe journey back to the Asian Games podium has been a difficult one for Indian weightlifting. According to a report in The Times of India, after Malleswari’s silver in 1998, India returned from the 2002 Busan Games without a medal. The 2006 Doha Games brought another setback, with the International Weightlifting Federation suspending the Indian Weightlifting Federation following multiple positive doping tests.India subsequently missed the weightlifting competition at those Games. The medal drought continued at Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014 and Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, despite India fielding several experienced lifters and medal contenders.At the Hangzhou Asian Games, held in 2023, hopes were once again pinned on Chanu. She narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth after an injury prevented her from completing her final clean and jerk attempt.Mirabai Makes Her Chance CountNagoya offered Chanu another opportunity, and this time she succeeded. Competing in the 49kg category, Chanu lifted 87kg in the snatch before producing a best clean and jerk of 111kg. Her combined total of 198kg secured the silver medal.North Korea’s defending champion and world champion Ri Song Gum claimed gold with a record-breaking 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.Chanu’s silver was especially significant because the Asian Games medal had remained absent from her collection despite her success at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.Another Milestone in a Remarkable CareerChanu arrived in Nagoya with strong momentum after winning her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow earlier this year. Her Asian Games silver now adds another major achievement to her record while ending one of the longest medal waits in Indian sport.From Karnam Malleswari’s historic podium finish in Bangkok in 1998 to Chanu’s silver in Nagoya, Indian weightlifting has finally returned to the Asian Games medal table. And this time, it took one of India’s most accomplished lifters to lift the wait away.