Mirabai Chanu first Indian in two decades to win gold at World Weightlifting Championship

Chanu lifted 85kg in snatch and 109kg in clean and jerk to total an impressive 194kg in the women’s 48kg category at the World Weightlifting Championship in Anaheim, USA. She became the first Indian woman after 2000 Olympic bronze medallist Karnam Malleshwari had won the top prize twice - in 1994 and 1995.

Chanu’s outing, last year, in Rio ended with a disappointing performance as she could not get an overall total in women’s 48kg after failing to lift the weight in any of her three attempts in clean & jerk section. So, understandably, tears of joy rolled down her cheeks while receiving the medal on the podium.

Thailand’s Sukcharoen Thunya won the silver medal with a total lift of 193, while Segura Ana Iris bagged the bronze medal with 182kg. Some of the world’s top weightlifting nations such as Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan weren’t participating in the competition due to issues related to doping.