Tokyo Olympics 2020: Mirabai Chanu, from disappointment in Rio to lifting India to silver

A nation of over 136 crore people had pinned its hopes on Saikhom Mirabai Chanu to lift them to glory and the 4 feet 11-inch weightlifter from Manipur responded in style. She finished 2nd on the podium in the 49kg category and is now only the 2nd Indian female after PV Sindhu to have won an Olympic silver medal in a singles event.

Her journey has been nothing short of a Bollywood blockbuster. The lifter from Imphal miserably failed at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In a heartbreaking performance, she couldn't lift the weight in any of her 3 attempts in clean and jerk and was one of the 2 lifters who didn't finish their events. Come Tokyo Games, Chanu not just lifted India to its first medal at the 2020 Games but set a new Olympics record with a 115 kg lift in Clean & Jerk.

Podium finishes aren't new to Chanu though. The 26-year-old Indian weightlifter has been a go-getter since 2014 when she first emerged. She bagged a silver in the 48 kg category at 2015 Commonwealth Games. Her biggest achievement then, however, came in 2017 when at the World Weightlifting Championship, she became the first Indian weightlifter in 2 decades to clinch the gold. In the following year, she continued to make her country proud by picking up a gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

In April, Mirabai Chanu set a new world record at the Asian Weightlifting Championship. She lifted 86kg in snatch and a world record of 119 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 205 kg.

Chanu faced tough competition from her Chinese counterpart, who went on to win gold, but what made Chanu's silver special was the fact that it was just the 2nd weightlifting medal India had won in Olympic history. Her incredible feat made the small town of Imphal erupt with joy, where her family and friends were elated soon after her event.

Chanu's smile may have been hidden behind the mask on the podium, but her eyes told a story that will go down in Indian Olympic history books as one of the most special moments.

Also read: Watch! Mirabai Chanu's family and friends elated after she wins Olympic silver