CWG 2022: "There is no pressure on Mirabai Chanu" - Coach Vijay Sharma

After winning a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the poster girl of weightlifting Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is carrying a billion expectations on her shoulder going into the upcoming Commonwealth Games (CWG 2022). Mirabai Chanu (49 kg) is one of India’s strongest bets going into the mega-event.

The 2022 CWG is slated to be held between July 28 and August 8 in Birmingham. The Indian ace is the defending champion in her category. Mirabai departed for Birmingham on June 25 and has commenced her training ahead of the competition.

In an exclusive conversation with Sportskeeda, Mirabai chief coach Vijay Sharma said:

"There is no pressure for Mirabai Chanu going into the commonwealth games. The only pressure is with the snatch category, and we have been addressing the area of concern. We are eyeing a national record at the 2022 Commonwealth Games."

The 27-year-old has been working on honing her technique with national chief coach Vijay Sharma. Despite the 88 kg mark being Mirabai's personal best and the national record in the 49 kg category, the snatch is not her strength.

Speaking about the same, Vijay Sharma said:

"We are working on the snatch the area of concern for her. Even in Dharmashala, where she last competed, we failed a few attempts. We have been rigorously working on the snatch techniques. Our main focus has been improving snatch efforts over the last several months."

Speaking about the back issues that Mirabai faced, her coach added:

"Nothing to worry about. Yes, we did face issues and had to change the training routine and techniques for about 7-10 days but we are back on track and have been training well after arriving in Birmingham."

Mirabai Chanu looks unstoppable

Weightlifting will once again feature at the Olympic Games, with five medal events for both men and women scheduled for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The qualification period for the 2024 Paris weightlifting berths will kickstart on August 1, 2022, and conclude on April 28, 2024.

Coach Vijay Kumar and Mirabai are focusing on the 2024 Paris qualification as well as the World Championships scheduled to take place in December this year. Mirabai's coach explained:

"We are focusing on the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification events. We also have the World Championships which are slated to take place in December. So we have are sights set on the upcoming major events."