Indian weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu has set her sights on the elusive Asian Games gold after clinching a historic gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Fresh off a historic gold medal finish in weightlifting at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is now gearing up for the only medal that has remained elusive in her career so far: An Asiad gold medal.
Mirabai has begun training for the upcoming quadrennial sporting event under the careful guidance of coach Vijay Sharma and strength and conditioning coach Dr Aaron Horschig.
‘Not going home till I win a medal at the Asian Games’
Speaking to SAI Media, Mirabai revealed that she went straight to Modinagar from the 2026 CWG and did not go home to Manipur and has challenged herself that she is not going home until she wins a medal at the Asian Games.
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“We have a video call every Thursday with him, and we discuss everything about training, recovery and the next steps. Everything is reviewed to the finest detail, and since Dr Horschig was a weightlifter himself, he knows every muscle in the body. This constant review has kept me in shape.
“I was straight back to training at Modinagar. In fact, I did not go home (in Manipur), and I have set myself a challenge ‘no going home till I win a medal at the Asian Games,'” Mirabai said.
More from SportsMirabai admits Asiad would be the ‘real test’
Injuries have long affected Mirabai’s chances of winning a medal at the Asian Games. In the previous edition, she had finished fourth in the 49 kg category after a hip and thigh injury affected her campaign.
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Mirabai also admitted that the challenge at the 2026 Commonwealth Games was not tough for her and did not require much effort in Glasgow, but the ‘real test’ would be at the 2026 Asian Games.
The 32-year-old weightlifter from Manipur is leading the five-member Indian weightlifting contingent at the 2026 Asian Games, which will take place from September 22 to 28 in Nagoya, Aichi.