Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is an Indian woman weightlifter born on 8th August 1994 who won the 1st medal for India in the Tokyo Olympics. She hails from Nongpok Kakching village of Imphal East in Manipur. Mirabai represents India internationally in the 48 kg weightlifting category.

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu- Early Life, Family & Background

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu was born to Saikhom Kriti Meitei and Saikhom Ongbi Tombi Leima. She belongs to a humble family, where her father is a government employee and her mother is a shopkeeper. Mirabai is the youngest of 5 siblings.

Mirabai Chanu’s potential to be a weightlifter was realized at the age of 12 when she had lifted a bundle of firewood with ease after her brother, Saikhom Sanatomba Meitei, struggled to lift it on his head. When she was 5-year-old, Mirabai used to carry a bucket of water on her head.

In 2007, Mirabai decided to pursue weightlifting and joined Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal, where she trained under Anita Chanu. She was inspired to take up the sport by Kunjarani Devi, a 7-time World Championships Silver-medalist and national coach.

Mirabai Chanu Biography

Under the tutelage of Anita Chanu, Mirabai’s weightlifting career gradually began to take off. She received her first breakthrough in 2009 when she won the Gold medal at State-level in the sub-junior category. Two years later, in 2011, she made it to the national camp and bagged the first national medal in Junior Nationals.

Sooner, Mirabai received her national team call-up, where she came under the guidance of her inspiration and Manipur indigenous, Kunjarani Devi, and won first International Gold medal at South Asian Youth Games, which followed up with another Gold medal at the 2011 International Youth Championships.

In 2013, Mirabai claimed the junior national title by lifting 170kg (75 kg Snatch + 95 kg Clean & Jerk) at the Women’s Junior National Championships. In 2016, she bagged the Gold medal in the 48kg category by lifting 169kg at the South Asian Games.

In December 2019, Mirabai Chanu won the Gold medal by lifting 194 kg (83 kg Snatch + 111 kg Clean & Jerk) at the Qatar International Cup. A couple of months later in February 2020, she became the national champion in the 49 kg category by lifting the national record of 203 kg (88 kg Snatch + 115 kg Clean & Jerk) at the Senior Women National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata.

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu Achievements

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu received her international breakthrough in 2014 when she bagged the Silver medal by lifting 170 kg in the 48 kg category at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. That year, in September, she competed at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, and finished 9th by lifting 171 kg.

In 2015, Mirabai Chanu competed at the World Weightlifting Championships, where she lifted 182 kg (74 kg Snatch + 104 kg Clean & Jerk) and finished 9th in the 48 kg category. The following year, she made her Olympic debut at the Rio Olympics but unfortunately, she received DNF (Did Not Finish) against her name for failing to lift the weight in three attempts in the Clean & Jerk section.

In 2017, Mirabai created history by becoming the second Indian woman weightlifter after Karman Malleswari to win a Gold medal by lifting 194 kg (85 kg Snatch + 105 kg Clean & Jerk) at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, United States. The following year, at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, she bagged the Gold medal by lifting 196 kg (86 kg Snatch + 110 Kg Clean & Jerk).

In April 2019, Mirabai missed her Bronze medal in a close contest to Zhang Rong of China and finished 4th by lifting 199 kg (86 kg Snatch + 113 kg Clean & Jerk) in the 49kg category at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Ningbo, China. Later that year, in September, at the World Weightlifting Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, she finished 4th by lifting 201 kg (87 kg Snatch + 114 kg Clean & Jerk) in the 49kg category.

Mirabai Chanu is eyeing to secure an Olympic berth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by winning a medal at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships.

Mirabai Chanu

Mirabai Chanu belongs to which state?

Manipur