"All my attention is on making a mark at the Paris Olympics" - Mirabai Chanu after her comeback at IWF World Cup

India's star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu made her comeback from a six-month injury-induced absence at the IWF World Cup 2024 on Monday (April 1). She competed in the women's 49kg category at the event taking place in Phuket, Thailand, and managed to clinch a spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Mirabai managed to finish third in Group B, in the first stage of the competition. The Olympic silver-medalist from Tokyo recorded lifts of 81kg and 103kg in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk formats, respectively.

Speaking to the media after her performance on Monday, Mirabai expressed satisfaction with her efforts. She said:

"It feels incredible to come back after injury. Almost every lift I made today felt clean, clear, and powerful, and I'm leaving this competition feeling strong and confident."

The Manipuri Olympian accepted that the process of recovering from her injury was tough. She said:

"The rehabilitation was tough and demanding, but with the support of everyone involved in my rehab and recovery, I pushed through all the complications. The journey to get here required relentless dedication and hard work, and I couldn't be happier being back on the ramp - lifting and competing for my country."

Mirabai Chanu's first lift of the event, in Snatch, was a successful attempt at 75kg. She went up by four kgs in her next attempt. The 29-year-old had another successful attempt on her third and final Snatch lift, at 81kg. This is nowhere close to her personal best of 88kg, but she is just easing back into the competition.

In the Clean & Jerk lifts, Mirabai started with a successful lift of 98kg. She went 5 kgs higher for her next lift and executed it successfully. However, her last attempt, at 106kg, failed. Her personal best in Clean & Jerk, by contrast, is 119kg.

With her Olympics spot all but sealed - the official announcement of qualifiers will be after the competition - the celebrated sporstwoman is looking ahead.

On securing a spot at the mega event, she said:

"The goal was to secure my spot for the Paris Olympics, and now that I am almost through to the Paris Olympics, all my attention is on making a mark at the Paris Olympics."

Mirabai Chanu's coach echoes her sentiments

Coming back after a long lay-off, it would have been unreasonable to expect Mirabai Chanu to be at her best. She clearly wasn't, but, as her coach Vijay Sharma said, the focus was on easing back into top-tier competition.

Sharma told the media:

"Our entire focus leading up to this event was solely on her (Mirabai's) rehabilitation. Seeing her perform comfortably today - given that she is returning after six months of injury and rehabilitation - makes me proud of all the hard work we have done. Today, she was comfortable and confident in her lifts.

"Now that we're almost through, our focus is firmly set on the Paris Olympics 2024. It's time to channel all our energy into preparing for the main event in Paris.

Mirabai is currently ranked 13th in the world. What would be worrying for her and Indian fans is the fact that the top-four ranked lifters in this category have lifted 90kg or more this year. So, to medal at Paris, the Indian star will have to better her personal best. That would be a challenge but she seems ready for it.