The 26-year-old is the first Indian weightlifter to earn a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Here's all you need to know about Mirabai Chanu.
Mirabai Chanu, who is she?
Chanu Saikhom Mirabai, also known as Mira Bai Chanu, is a weightlifter from Manipur who is 26 years old. She was born on August 8, 1994, and has competed in international tournaments in the 48 kg division since 2014, winning the World Championships and several gold at the Commonwealth Games. She is also a Padma Shri awardee, and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award was given to her by the government in 2018 for her commitment to sports.
Which state is Mirabai Chanu from?
Saikhom Mira bai Chanu was born in the northeastern state of Manipur, at Nongpok Kakching, Imphal. She belongs to a Meitei family, which is an ethnic group native to the northeastern Indian state of Manipur.
Olympics for Mirabai Chanu
It all started at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Multiple lifts failed, and a 21-year-old Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, a strong medal contender at the time, was thrown to the ground.
Chanu considered giving up the sport because she was in an unbearable woe. Sport may be the only arena in which a person may become a hero after a dramatic public failure. Chanu was given a second opportunity in Tokyo after her failure in Rio. She followed through on that promise.
Chanu had a medal waiting for her as she went onto the floor for the clean and jerk round, thanks to an outstanding start in the snatch round. Her favorite event is clean and jerk, and she only had one competitor in China's Zhihui Hou, who won gold.
She pushed the bar and gave the Chinese girl a run for her money, to her credit. Mirabai told reporters, "I had worked hard for Rio but it was simply not to be, but from that day on, I dreamed of winning in Tokyo and fulfilling my dream of earning an Olympic gold," she said. “I'm here as a result of what I learned in Rio.”
More than anything, Chanu is a narrative of self-sufficiency. She had no intention of pursuing a career as a weightlifter. All she was doing was bringing back wooden logs from the surrounding forest to kindle fires during the winter.
Many people wondered how a girl her age could move such large logs. Chanu, on the other hand, was unaffected. Her mother noticed something unusual in her daughter when she loved the challenge of lifting weights. Chanu's mother encouraged her to pursue a career as an athlete, and she was naturally proud of her daughter's accomplishments in Tokyo.
Let's be clear about one thing: Chanu's medal is not unexpected. Everyone expected Chanu to win a medal in weightlifting, and she was seen as a major candidate. She has always performed well in international events, with the Olympic Games being the only award missing from her trophy cabinet. She even has earrings in the shape of Olympic rings and wears them every single day as a reminder to herself of an unfulfilled dream.
Chanu did not come from a wealthy background. She's the girl next door who dared to dream big. She is, in fact, India's concept, which continues to inspire us all. Chanu is now a part of India's athletic mythology, having gone from carrying logs as a youngster to boosting a nation's spirit in Tokyo.
Chanu had taken a selfie at the Delhi airport before departing India. She is shown standing alone, preparing for the long voyage to Japan. But many fellows will now be waiting at the airport to grab a piece of selfie with her when she returns home victorious after a rendezvous with history. She isn't simply another excellent weightlifter anymore.
She is the first Indian woman to win a silver medal on the opening day of the world's most prestigious sports event. She is also the first Indian woman to earn a silver medal in weightlifting, surpassing Karnam Malleswari's bronze from the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Her award has also improved the morale of the whole contingent. Everyone in the Indian camp is ecstatic with Chanu's success, whether it's the men's hockey team, which began off brilliantly by beating New Zealand 3-2, or Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who played a spectacular match against the world No. 3 Chinese Taipei pair.
With a medal arriving early, the pressure has been relieved, and that is what will help make these games the finest in India's Olympic history.
