Mirabai Chanu Makes History With Asian Games Silver, Ends India’s 28-Year Drought

Mirabai Chanu finally broke her Asian Games medal jinx on Wednesday, winning silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event in Nagoya.

Her 198kg combined lift not only earned her a place on the podium but also brought India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal to an end. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum dominated the competition once again, securing her third consecutive Asian Games gold with a total of 215kg. Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana finished third with 191kg.

Chanu’s achievement marks India’s first weightlifting medal at the Asian Games since Karnam Malleswari’s silver in Bangkok in 1998.

Chanu’s Long Road to the Podium

The medal carries special significance for Chanu, whose previous Asian Games appearances had ended in disappointment. She finished ninth at the 2014 Incheon Games, was forced to miss the 2018 edition in Jakarta due to a back injury and came agonisingly close to the podium in Hangzhou in 2023.

At Hangzhou, Chanu managed 191kg but suffered an injury during the clean and jerk, eventually finishing fourth.

She entered the Nagoya competition with renewed confidence after securing her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow earlier this year. Her Commonwealth performance included an 85kg snatch and a 105kg clean and jerk.

Strong Clean and Jerk Secures Silver

Chanu made a steady start in the snatch, successfully completing all three attempts and ending the first phase with 87kg.

Ri, the defending Asian Games and world champion, strengthened her position at the top with a 94kg snatch, leaving Chanu with ground to make up in the clean and jerk.

The Indian responded with a successful 107kg opening attempt before adding another four kilograms to her total with a 111kg second lift. That took her combined score to 198kg.

Wijayana’s failure to complete her 107kg clean and jerk attempt further strengthened Chanu’s position in the medal race.

Ri, meanwhile, continued to pull away. She lifted 116kg before successfully attempting 121kg, setting a world record and finishing with a commanding 215kg total.

With Ri out of reach, Chanu’s focus shifted to securing the silver—and she did exactly that.

28-Year Indian Wait Ends

Chanu’s silver ended one of India’s longest medal droughts in Asian Games weightlifting. Malleswari’s silver in 1998 had remained the country’s most recent medal in the discipline for 28 years.

The Nagoya podium also fills the only major gap in Chanu’s decorated international career. The 31-year-old has already won Olympic and World Championship medals and three consecutive Commonwealth Games golds, but the Asian Games medal had remained elusive.

Her 198kg total may not have been enough to challenge Ri for gold, but it was sufficient to deliver a historic silver—and return India to the Asian Games weightlifting podium after nearly three decades.