Mirabai Chanu clinches historic silver, ends Asian Games medal drought

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally clinched the elusive Asian Games medal after winning silver in the women’s 49kg category at Nagoya on Wednesday.

The Asian Games silver adds to Mirabai’s three World Championship medals (including a gold), Asian Championships bronze, Olympic silver and several Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championships titles, completing her medal collection.

Mirabai clinches historic silver

Fresh off a gold medal-winning campaign at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Mirabai began her Asian Games campaign by lifting 88kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk, totalling 198kg to secure a silver medal.

She finished the first half of the competition in third place after opening with 83kg in snatch, and then clearing 85kg and 87kg in the next two attempts.

The veteran Indian weightlifter made history after winning India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since 1998, when Karnam Malleswari won bronze. She is now the second Indian weightlifter to win a medal in all major international events.

Mirabai went on to produce a best lift of 111kg in clean and jerk to finally clinch an Asian Games medal after failing to do so twice in the past.

At the Hangzhou Games in 2023, Mirabai finished fourth after an injury forced her to withdraw from her final clean and jerk attempt.

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North Korea’s Ri Song Gum delivered beyond expectations, delivering a record-breaking performance to win the gold. The two-time world champion completed a hat-trick of Asian Games titles.

Mirabai’s medal adds to India’s medal tally

Mirabai added another medal to India’s growing medal tally on day four of the Asian Games, after Jay Meena’s historic silver in soft tennis and the Indian men’s and women’s skeet teams won bronze medals.

India’s only gold medal of the campaign was secured on day three, when the Harmanpreet Kaur-led women’s cricket team beat Sri Lanka in the final.