Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally secured her maiden Asian Games medal, winning silver in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday.
Chanu finished with a combined lift of 198kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won gold with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.
Mirabai Chanu Ends Long Wait for Asian Games Medal
The silver medal marks Chanu’s first podium finish at the Asian Games. She had narrowly missed a medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where she finished fourth after an injury affected her final clean and jerk attempts.
Her latest result completes a major collection of international medals that already includes an Olympic silver, a World Championship gold and multiple Commonwealth Games titles.
Chanu Lifts 198kg to Claim Silver
Chanu began the competition with an 83kg snatch attempt and then successfully lifted 85kg and 87kg. She entered the clean and jerk phase in third position before producing a best lift of 111kg.
Her combined total of 198kg was enough to secure second place behind Ri Song Gum, who lifted 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk for a 215kg total.
Silver Ends India’s 28-Year Weightlifting Medal Wait
Chanu’s silver also ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. India’s previous medal in the sport came at the 1998 Bangkok Games, when Karnam Malleswari won silver.
The result adds another milestone to Chanu’s career and gives India a podium finish in weightlifting at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.