24 September,2026 08:35 AM IST | Aichi-Nagoya | Sundeep Misra
India’s Mirabai Chanu competes in the 49kg weightlifting competition at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday. Pic/PTI
[popcorn number="198kg" desc="Mirabai Chanu's total lift (87kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk)" class="Default"]
[popcorn number="28" desc="No. of years after which India won a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games; Karnam Malleswari (63kg) had clinched silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games" class="Default"]
It is hard enough to be in control of the very knots in the threads that weave the fabric of a medal. For Mirabai Chanu, those threads had been tangled in heartbreak and near-misses for over a decade. They finally came together in Nagoya when she won silver in the 49kg.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist totalled 198kg, lifting 88kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk to claim India's first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won bronze in 1998.
Ever since her debut at the 2014 Asian Games, where things didn't go according to plan, the continental stage felt like an elusive mirage. Through the 2018 back injury that robbed her of a prime opportunity, and the physical setbacks that derailed her podium finish in 2023, the Asian Games became a long haul, a journey akin to endlessly traversing the desert without entering the promised land. Her struggles morphed into something mythic, almost intimate, to followers of weightlifting who watched her conquer the world stage and Olympic podiums, only to see her repeatedly stumble at this specific hurdle.
Sports careers follow many trajectories. Some bloom early, while others blossom late, arriving on specific podiums only after immense, character-testing trials. For Mirabai Chanu, the Asian Games had become an open wound. Questions constantly plagued her: "I ask myself, what happened? What is happening to me in every Asian Games? I have everything. I have a gold medal. I am a world champion. I have an Olympic medal. I have three gold medals in the Commonwealth Games. Why am I losing the Asian Games medal?"
This silver medal won in Nagoya won't change Mirabai's life in a flash. In truth, not winning it would have carried a heavy, lingering burden. Medals are a sportsperson's most honest currency, not because raw talent needs validation, but because the human spirit ultimately craves closure.
Like a delayed exam result finally arriving with the exact positivity expected from the start, this medal brings a source of infinite peace. It feels like a late knock on the door in the dead of night, but a knock that finally comes. Reflecting on the journey, Chanu shared: "Actually, in Asian Games, the weightlifting is stronger in Asia... I believe that medals in Asian Games are equal to medals in Olympics. So, that's why I'm very happy."
The heavy weight of a missing puzzle piece is gone. As she noted of the emotional release, "The pressure is gone. Really. I feel very light. This was the only thing missing. In a way, my life is complete now."
The final thread has been sewn into the complex tapestry of her career. And yet, dare we call it the final thread?
With the 49kg category likely behind her as she looks toward the shifting weight classes of the Los Angeles Olympics - where she notes, "We don't have to gain weight to come in 53. We have to get the muscle ready first" - this long-awaited triumph acts as far more than mere relief. It provides a clean slate.
The shadow of the Asian Games has been permanently laid to rest, giving Chanu the ultimate fuel, physical clarity, and mental freedom to step into her next chapter, entirely unburdened and complete.
