Mirabai Chanu Ends 28-Year Wait, Wins Maiden Asian Games Silver

Aichi-Nagoya, Sep 23 : Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu finally filled the only major gap in her decorated career on Wednesday, winning a silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Asian Games and ending India’s 28-year wait for a medal in the discipline.

Chanu lifted a combined 198kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk, to secure her maiden Asian Games medal. North Korea’s Ri Song-gum won the gold with a total lift of 215kg.

The 32-year-old began the snatch with a successful 83kg attempt before clearing 85kg and then 87kg on her third lift. She entered the clean and jerk in third position but produced a crucial 111kg lift to move into the silver-medal spot.

The medal was particularly significant for Chanu, who had endured a series of disappointments at the Asian Games. She finished ninth on her debut at Incheon in 2014, missed the Jakarta Games in 2018 due to a back injury and narrowly missed the podium at Hangzhou in 2023, where she finished fourth.

Her Hangzhou campaign ended in disappointment after she failed in her attempt to lift 117kg in the clean and jerk, which ultimately kept her out of the medals.

Chanu arrived in Aichi-Nagoya with an Olympic silver medal, a world title and three Commonwealth Games gold medals already in her collection. She had also won gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games with a total lift of 190kg, leaving an Asian Games medal as the notable missing achievement in her career.

Her silver on Wednesday also brought an end to India’s long wait for an Asian Games medal in weightlifting. India’s previous medal in the discipline came at the 1998 Bangkok Games, where Karnam Malleswari won silver.

For Chanu, the Aichi-Nagoya silver represents a long-awaited personal milestone, while for Indian weightlifting it marks a return to the Asian Games podium after nearly three decades.