Confident Mirabai Chanu faces uphill task in Paris
While Chanu's confidence is commendable, a look at the prospective field and the probable weight she needs to lift to be a medal contender point to a steep task
Mirabai Chanu marked her return to competitions following a six-month injury layoff with a lift of 184 kgs (81kg snatch and 103 kg clean and jerk) at the Phuket World Cup earlier this month, a result that has all but sealed her spot for this year's Paris Olympics. Coming off a botched Asian Games campaign where she finished fourth, the 49kg lifter is still easing her way into the sport with the focus currently on regaining her muscle strength.
"I am satisfied with my effort in Phuket. I have started training only recently, so in that context, 184kgs is great. I had no injury worries and my hip held up well," Chanu said after returning to Patiala.
National coach Vijay Kumar Sharma was also optimistic: "We need to be patient with her. Weightlifting is all about gradual progression. We started training very recently but I am very impressed with her technique. She did the best she could with so little training. Her speed has improved and she was completely pain-free in the competition. I am satisfied with her performance."
While Chanu and Sharma's confidence is commendable, a look at the prospective field and the probable weight she needs to lift to put her in medal contention point at a rather steep task. Each of the top three finishers in Phuket lifted in the excess of 200kgs with North Korea's Ri Song Gum heaving an incredible 221kgs. It meant Song Gum smashed her own world record (216kg), set at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Tokyo Olympics champion from China, Hou Zhihui, finished second in Phuket with an aggregate lift of 217kgs while her compatriot Jiang Huihua, a four-time world champion, logged 208kgs.
Since only one lifter from an NOC can compete in a single weight class in Paris, Chanu will have one less Chinese lifter to contend with. However, the presence of Thailand's 2021 world champion Surodchana Khambao and USA's three-time Pan American champion Jourdan Delacruz will not make things any easier.
Among the most consistent lifters currently, Khambao routinely lifts in excess of 190kgs and knows a thing or two about raising her level when the stage demands. At the Asian Championships in Jinju last year, the Thai finished behind the Chinese duo of Huihua (207kg) and Zhuhui (204kg) with a total of 200kgs, her best effort in the Paris qualifying period. Chanu, then returning from a five-month injury break, had managed 194kgs for a sixth-place finish. Crucially, all the lifters listed above are younger than Chanu (29), meaning they are at an intimidating intersection of peak performance and ideal age.
"I agree that the competition will be stiff, but I don't look at my opponents. I focus on what I am going to lift. Tougher the competition, more motivated I get," Chanu said. It makes for a good quote, but a closer, comparative look doesn't paint a rosy picture.
While Chanu is not new to 200kg lifts, it has been a while since her injury-ravaged body has lifted four times its weight. The last time she registered 200kg was back in 2022 when her 201kg gold medal-winning effort at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games was followed by the 200kg lift at the Bogota World Championships that earned her a silver medal. The latter remains the only instance where Chanu has managed to get the better of a Chinese in her long career — she finished ahead of Zhihui.
In Tokyo, Chanu's 202kg lift was enough to win her a silver medal, but in Paris, it may not be enough considering the alarming consistency with which the lifters have been overhauling that mark. Even the Olympic record of 210 kgs — set by Zhihui in Tokyo en route her gold — is not exactly safe. Song Gum has breached it twice already while Zhihui and Huihua have bettered it at least once each.
It's of little wonder that Chanu and Sharma have set 205kg as their target for Paris. It may still not guarantee a medal, but it'll be enough to keep her in the hunt. Chanu has hit the mark only once, back in 2020 at the Asian Championships, but four years of wear and tear have taken an obvious toll on her.
In Patiala's National Institute of Sports, Chanu's aging, tiring body is being put through the grind. Coach Sharma is confident that Chanu will hit her peak in time for Paris.
"We are planning her peak by July-end or the first week of August. As of now, she is mainly into strength-based workouts and we shall commence classical lifts only in May. If she can lift 184kgs with 60-70% of training, I am confident she'll be a force once she gets into proper training rhythm," he said.
