Competing in the 55kg weight category for the first time, Tokyo Olympics star Mirabai Chanu lifted 191kg (86kg + 105kg) to win the gold medal in the 55kg category at Singapore International on Friday.
Mirabai Chanu qualifies for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 55kg category (Photo courtesy of Mirabai Chanu)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Mirabai Chanu won a gold medal in the 55kg category in Singapore
- She has qualified for CWG 2022 in both 49 kg and 55 kg
- Mirabai competed for the first time since her Olympic campaign
Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu qualified for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 55kg category on Friday. She sealed the berth after winning a gold medal at the Singapore Weightlifting International earlier in the day.
Chanu made her debut in the 55kg weight class, lifting 191kg (86kg + 105kg) to take the top step of the podium in an uncompetitive field.
The second-place lifter – Australia’s Jessica Sewastenko – had the best effort at 167kg (77kg + 90kg), a whopping 24kg shy of Chanu. Elly Cassandra Englebert of Malaysia was third with a personal best of 165kg (75kg + 90kg).
The other three Indian lifters competing on the first day of the event – Sanket Sagar (55kg), Rishikanta Singh (55kg) and Bindyarani Devi (59kg) – also took places in the Commonwealth Games.
After Chanu retired from the World Championships in December, this was Chanu’s first competitive event since the historic Tokyo Games last July.
“7 months of intense training and my never ending love for the sport continues to pay off as I qualify for the @CWG2022 in the 55kg and 49kg categories,” Chanu said in a tweet after the win.
.@mirabai_chanu wins GOLD with a combined weight of 191 kg (Snatch – 86 kg and Clean & Jerk – 105 kg) in the 55 kg category at the Singapore Running #weightlifting International 2022
In doing so, she secured her berth on the coming #CWG2022
Congratulations pic.twitter.com/4tn0GkE3D6
— Khelo India (@kheloindia) February 25, 2022
“I would like to thank our Ministry of Youth and Affairs, Weightlifting Federation of India, SAI and everyone else involved who helped me get here,” she added.
Chanu had withdrawn from the World Cup to work on a new snatch technique and head coach Vijay Sharma was delighted to see the progress Manipuri has made in the section once seen as their weakness.
She comfortably lifted 81 kg, 84 kg and 86 kg in her three snatches here.
27-year-old Chanu also qualified for the CWG in the 49kg weight class based on her Commonwealth rankings. However, to maximize India’s chances of winning more gold at the CWG, Chanu is expected to compete in the new 55kg weight class.
