5 weightlifters who can upset Mirabai Chanu in 49kg weight category at Tokyo Olympics

Mirabai Chanu qualified for Tokyo Olympics 2020 when she secured the 2nd spot in the Absolute Rankings in her 49kg weight category.

Still wondering what @mirabai_chanu's been up to on the #RoadToTokyo2020? #RuknaNaiHai 🇮🇳 #BetterEveryday pic.twitter.com/tFZ5Os0Ise

— JSW Sports (@jswsports) July 18, 2021

Mirabai Chanu is a Commonwealth Gold medalist. She has also won gold at the 2017 World Championships. Last year she won bronze at the Asian Championships. But in Tokyo, there will be an immense burden on the shoulders of the 26-year-old, as she is the sole weightlifter from India at the Olympics.

Before Mirabai Chanu starts thinking of a podium finish, she has to fend off a strong field of weightlifters.

Training in Tokyo.#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/qLll2lnvua

— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) July 19, 2021

Here are 5 weightlifters who could upset Mirabai Chanu's chances of winning a medal at Tokyo Olympics 2020

#1. Hou Zhihui

Hou Zhihui

China's Hou Zhihui is Mirabai Chanu's arch-rival. Hou Zhihui is entering the Tokyo Olympics as a favorite to win gold in 49kg category. She has form by her side. At the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships she broke the world record in the Snatch.

At the 2019 IWF World Cup, she won gold medals in Snatch, Clean and Jerk. She set a new world record in Snatch lifting 94kg. She also won gold medals at the 2019 and 2020 Asian Championships.

#2. Delacruz Jourdan Elizabeth

Delacruz Jourdan Elizabeth (Credits: Delacruz Jourdan Elizabeth Instagram )

USA's Delacruz Jourdan Elizabeth is another one of Mirabai Chanu's nemesis. Competing in the 53kg category, she won a silver medal at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships. Following her triumph in the junior category, she won the 2019 and the 2020 Pan American Championships.

She is a firm favorite for a podium finish at the Olympics.

#3. Aisah Windy Cantika

Windy Cantika Aisah (Credits: ASEAN Foundation Twitter)

Aisah Windy Cantika is an Indonesian weightlifter. She won the gold medal in the women's 49 kg event at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games held in Manila. This year she also won a gold medal at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships. Mirabai Chanu will have stiff competition from her too.

#4. Beatriz Candelario

Beatriz Candelario

Beatriz Candelario is a weightlifter from Dominica. She clinched the gold medal in the Snatch event at the 2011 Youth World Championships. The gold medal was followed by yet another gold medal at the Youth Pan American Championships in the same year.

She also has three gold medals from the Junior Pan American Championships.

#5. Sopita Tansan

Sopita Tansan

Sopita Tansan is the current Olympic Champion. She hails from Thailand. In 2013 she competed in the 53kg weight category at the World Championships and won the bronze medal.

In 2017 she won a gold medal at the World Championship in the 53kg weight category. Sopita Tansan also created the world record at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships and claimed the gold medal.