Weightlifting: “Mirabai Chanu will be a challenge for her at world championship,” says Jhilli Dalabehera’s coach Dharmarao

In three weeks’ time, Asian champion Jhilli Dalabehera will look to challenge Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu in the 49kg weight category at the World Weightlifting Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Jhilli Dalabehera, who won Asian gold in the women’s 45kg division, will move into the Olympic bracket for the Worlds. It will be an uphill task for the young lifter from Odisha. However, her childhood coach Dharmarao believes she needs to overcome it to fulfil her dream of the Olympics.

“It is a proud moment for her and all of us associated. But this is only the beginning. She competed in 45kg at the Asian championship because Mirabai Chanu was there in 49kg. But we all knew at some point she would have to face her. It will be a challenge she needs to overcome in order to represent India at the Olympics,” he told Sportskeeda.

The 22-year-old lifter hails from the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. She is a product of the Bhubaneshwar Sports Hostel and has shown a raw talent for the sport.

Jhilli Dalabehera was selected for the world weightlifting championship after her performance at the trials held at NIS, Patiala. She picked 98kg in Clean and Jerk and 72kg in snatch, thereby finishing with a total of 170kg.

Dharmarao said from childhood the duo have worked on the clean and jerk as it allows them to lift more than in snatch.

“Any athlete who trains under me is good in clean and jerk. That has been my philosophy. Snatch takes a lot of time to master, so we keep improving it, and master the art of clean and jerk. Jhilli Dalabehera is also good in C&J,” he said.

And to a certain extent he is right.

Normally, top weightlifters follow a simple formula that lifts in snatch should be nearly 80 per cent of clean and jerk. It is a ratio that has helped China’s Zhihui dominate the women’s 49 kg.

The gold-medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, Zhihui had lifted 94 kg in snatch, followed by 116 kg in clean and jerk at the Games. The combined score of 210kg was enough to get her the Olympic title.

Mirabai Chanu, on the other hand, only had a snatch lift of nearly 75 per cent of her clean and jerk. She lifted 87kg in snatch, while 115kg in C&J at the Olympics. A combined score of 202kg helped her win the silver medal.

However, Jhilli Dalabehera's personal best of 170kg at the trials is still not enough to challenge even the ninth-placed Olympic finish of Natasha Rosa Figueiredo of Brazil.

Dharmaorao said she is still young and needs proper guidance to be amongst the best.

“She has shown promise in 45kg but it is a very different ball game as you move up in weight category. With proper guidance and training, I know Jhilli Dalabehera can be amongst the best,” he said.

Jhilli Dalabehera joins an elite list of Indian women weightlifters

Earlier this year, Jhilli Dalabehera, a former world junior bronze medalist, joined an elite list of Indian women lifters to become Asian champions.

She did this by lifting a combined weight of 69kg in snatch and 88kg in the clean and jerk, finishing at the top with a total of 157kg.

Jhilli Dalabehera became the only Indian lifter to win Asian championship gold after Kunjarani Devi and Karnam Maleshwari, a feat which was achieved 26 years ago in 1995.