Indian female weightlifter Mirabai Chanu made history by winning her third consecutive gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. Mirabai has once again proven to the world why she is counted among the greatest athletes of all time in this sport. Bearing the weight of India’s expectations on her strong shoulders at the 23rd Commonwealth Games, the 31-year-old Mirabai secured the country’s first gold medal by lifting a total of 190 kg in the women’s 48 kg category. With this historic victory, Chanu completed a magnificent hat-trick of winning three consecutive gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.
India’s performance on this particular day of the competition was outstanding. On the same day Mirabai Chanu claimed the top spot on the podium, weightlifter Rishikant Singh also won a silver medal for the country with a stellar performance. With these two successes, India’s total medal count at the 23rd Commonwealth Games has reached three.
The Weight of Expectations and a Magnificent Comeback
Weightlifting had been considered India’s strongest discipline right from the start of the Commonwealth Games. Living up to this confidence, Indian athletes have already secured two medals. The Indian contingent has a great opportunity to further extend its dominance in weightlifting when M. Raja mounts his challenge for a medal in the men’s 65 kg category.
Mirabai Chanu entered the women’s 48 kg event as the strongest contender for the gold medal. However, the competition did not begin quite as she had envisioned. Chanu failed to lift 82 kg in her first attempt in the snatch category. Despite this setback, she did not lose her composure. She made a magnificent comeback in her second attempt by easily lifting 82 kg. Subsequently, in her third and final attempt, she lifted 85 kg to set a new Commonwealth Games record.
Four Commonwealth Games, Four Medals
This marks the third time Mirabai Chanu has returned from the Commonwealth Games with a gold medal. She had previously stood atop the podium at the Glasgow and Birmingham Games as well. She now holds a total of four medals in the history of the Commonwealth Games. Mirabai Chanu’s golden journey at the Commonwealth Games began at the 2014 Glasgow Games; as a young athlete, she made a powerful statement on the international stage by winning a silver medal in the women’s 48kg category. Four years later, at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Chanu set a new benchmark. She won her first gold medal with a total lift of 196 kg, establishing new ‘Games and Commonwealth records’ in the process.
Maintaining this momentum, she lifted a total of 201 kg in the women’s 49kg category at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. With this performance, she broke her own record and secured India’s first gold medal of the competition.