Decoding why weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has opted 210kg entry weight at Tokyo Olympics

Indian weightlifting sensation and Tokyo Olympics medal hopeful Mirabai Chanu has listed an entry total of 210 kg for the finals of women's 49 kg category. This entry total is the highest among all the lifters that will participate in this weight category on the 24th of July, 2021.

Women's 49 kg start list (Courtesy: IWF) Mirabai Chanu will be India's biggest medal hope at the Tokyo Olympics

This kind of entry weight might be like throwing the cat among the pigeons for Mirabai Chanu's rivals at the Tokyo Olympics. Current world record holder Hou Zhihui of China has opted for a conservative entry weight of 205 kg for this event.

Among other competitors, Aisah Windy Cantika of Indonesia has listed an entry total of 203 kg for this event and Delacruz Jourdan Elizabeth of the USA has entered with a total of 200 kg.

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Significance of 210 kg entry total for Mirabai Chanu

The entry weight registered by Mirabai Chanu is a real statement of intent from 26-year-old Indian weightlifter. This places her as a top gold medal contender for this particular event at the Tokyo Olympics. However, this can be a well-strategized move by the Indian think tank as well.

Entry totals for any weightlifting event are submitted a few days prior to the beginning of the actual event. However, there is a catch - one cannot enter with an entry total less of than 20 kgs on the day of the event (otherwise known as the 20kg rule for entry). At the Asian Weightlifting Championships earlier this year, Mirabai Chanu listed an entry total of 210 kg as well.

However, back then the Chinese lifters Hou Zhihui and Jiang Huihua also had registered for an entry total of 210 kg. Zhihui had won a gold medal back then after a combined total of 213 kg, while Mirabai Chanu managed a total of 205 kg with a world record lift of 119 kg in the Clean and Jerk division.

However, this time around Zhihui has entered with a rather conservative total of 205 kg. Usually, a lower entry weight than the previous tournament can be due to a potential niggle or it may be that Zhihui is trying to downplay her advantage before the tournament. However, one cannot say that with surety in case of Chinese athletes before the Olympics.

Hou Zhihui will be a major roadblock for Mirabai Chanu Women's 49 kg start list (Courtesy: IWF)

The other lifters listed over 200 kg are Aisah Windy Cantika of Indonesia and Delacruz Jourdan Elizabeth of the USA. 19-year-old Windy had registered an entry total of 191 kg at the Asian Championships earlier in the year. However, she finished with a total of 189 kg back then, with a bronze medal in the snatch event, where she lifted 87 kg ahead of Mirabai Chanu's 86 kg.

An entry total of 203 kg for the Tokyo Olympics will certainly raise some eyebrows but one needs to wait until the 24th of July to see how things unfold.

Delacruz is the only lifter other than Mirabai Chanu and Hou Zhihui among all the participants to have lifted a total of 200 kg or more in women's 49 kg category. She lifted a total of 200 kg at the Pan American Championships in April this year.

35-year-old Hiromi Miyake will also be participating in women's 49 kg division

Among the other lifters competing in this event, Nina Sterckx of Belgium has entered with a total of 199 kg. She has moved down from the 55kg category she has been participating in for much of 2021. Two-time Olympic medalist Miyake Hiromi of Japan will also be competing in this event and has listed an entry total of 193 kg.

Overall, Mirabai Chanu might have a psychological advantage of putting an entry total of 210 kg over his rivals but one needs to wait till 24th of July to see if she can convert this entry total to actual lifts. One can expect Mirabai Chanu to be all set to redeem her lost glory from Rio in Tokyo.

Checkout: Tokyo Olympics Medal Tally