Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally secured the one major medal missing from her illustrious international career, winning silver in the women’s 49kg category at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, September 23. The Olympic silver medallist lifted a combined 198kg — 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk — to finish second behind North Korea’s Ri Song Gum, who won gold with 215kg.
Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg. Chanu’s podium finish ends a long wait that began with her Asian Games debut in 2014 and also marks India’s return to the weightlifting podium at the continental Games after 28 years.
A Medal Long Awaited
For Chanu, the silver carries significance beyond the colour of the medal. She had already won an Olympic silver, a World Championships gold and multiple Commonwealth Games titles, but an Asian Games podium finish had remained absent from her collection. At 32, she entered the competition as the oldest lifter in the women’s 49kg field, with years of experience but also a history of injuries and near misses at the continental event.
Chanu began her campaign strongly, successfully completing all three of her snatch attempts at 83kg, 85kg and 87kg. She then lifted 111kg in the clean and jerk to finish with a 198kg total and secure silver. Ri Song Gum dominated the competition with a 215kg total, while Wijayana finished third with 191kg.
The result also ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. Karnam Malleswari had been the last Indian weightlifter to win a medal at the Games, taking silver at Bangkok 1998, according to multiple reports.
From Near Misses To Podium
Chanu’s Asian Games journey has been marked by setbacks. She finished ninth at the 2014 Incheon Games before missing the 2018 Jakarta edition because of a back injury. At Hangzhou in 2023, she came agonisingly close to the podium, finishing fourth after competing with a thigh injury. Her final clean-and-jerk attempt at 117kg ended without a successful lift, leaving her just outside the medals.
The road to Aichi-Nagoya had nevertheless offered encouraging signs. In July, Chanu won her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow, lifting 190kg in the women’s 48kg category and setting Games records. After that victory, she said the Asian Games would be “very crucial” and that she was preparing to win her first gold there.
Her silver in Nagoya now gives her a medal from another major multi-sport event and adds a new chapter to a career shaped by repeated comebacks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier praised her after her Commonwealth Games triumph, describing her as an inspiration and wishing her well for her future endeavours.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Mirabai Chanu’s Asian Games silver is a reminder that sporting journeys are rarely defined by a single podium finish. Her path to this medal included an early Games disappointment, an injury-forced absence, another injury-hit campaign and years of returning to the platform.
Her achievement also highlights why athletes need sustained access to training, coaching, healthcare and institutional support rather than attention only when medals arrive. As Chanu finally adds this missing medal to her career, what lessons can India take from her journey about supporting athletes through setbacks as well as celebrating their victories?
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