Mirabai breaks no sweat, clinches top spot in style

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu, competing after a year since her fourth-place finish at Paris 2024, warmed up for next month’s World championships with the women’s 48kg gold in the Commonwealth weightlifting championships at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex, Naranpura, here on Monday.

Mirabai lifted 84kg (snatch) and 109kg (clean and jerk) to take the top spot in a field of seven. Though she cut one extra kilo to fit into the new weight category, she qualified for the 2026 Commonwealth Games without pushing herself much. Mirabai’s total of 193kg was 32kg more than that of the second-placed Irene Jane Henry of Malaysia.

While winning her first gold in the meet on home soil, Mirabai, who had bagged a silver behind Sanjita Chanu in Pune in 2015, set three new Commonwealth records.

Rishianta Singh aggregated 271kg to beat Malaysia’s 55kg Commonwealth Games gold medallist Aniq Kasdan by 18kg for the 60kg gold.

Dharmajyoti Dewgharia (224kg) claimed the men’s junior and youth titles in 56kg, while Arumugapandian Maharajan (254kg) won the 60kg junior and youth crowns.

Soumya Dalvi (177kg) and Payal (166kg) emerged the women’s 48kg junior and youth women’s champions respectively. Preetismita Bhoi (150kg) won the 44kg youth women’s gold.