Nagoya, Sep 2026 : Ace Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally ended her long wait for an Asian Games medal, clinching silver in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Wednesday.
Chanu Ends 28-Year Wait for India in Asian Games Weightlifting
The 32-year-old lifted a combined 198kg, comprising 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk, at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre to secure the silver medal.
North Korea’s two-time Asian Games and world champion Ri Song-gum won the gold with a total lift of 210kg, including 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk. Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri claimed the bronze with an overall effort of 191kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 103kg in the clean and jerk.
Chanu’s silver marks India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleshwari won silver in Bangkok in 1998, bringing an end to a 28-year wait for a podium finish in the discipline.
A Medal That Completes Chanu’s Major Games Collection
The Aichi-Nagoya silver also completed Chanu’s medal collection across the three major multi-sport events — the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.
Following in the footsteps of Malleshwari, Chanu has now won medals across the major international stages of weightlifting, including the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, besides Asian and Commonwealth Championships.
Chanu already had an Olympic silver medal, a world championship title and three Commonwealth Games gold medals in her impressive collection. However, an Asian Games medal had remained the notable missing piece.
Her first Asian Games appearance came in 2014, when she finished ninth. She was forced to miss the 2018 Jakarta edition because of injury. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, she came agonisingly close to the podium, finishing fourth after a thigh injury affected her clean-and-jerk attempts in the final.
Three years later, Chanu returned to Japan — the country where she won her Olympic silver medal — and finally achieved the Asian Games podium finish that had eluded her since her debut.
From Olympic Setback to Asian Games Glory
Chanu’s career has also featured significant setbacks. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, she failed to register a valid lift. Five years later, she produced a remarkable turnaround at the Tokyo Olympics, winning the silver medal and cementing her status among the world’s leading weightlifters.
In Nagoya, Chanu began with a successful 87kg snatch and maintained the same weight before completing her clean-and-jerk attempts. Her combined 198kg was enough to secure the silver and add another major achievement to her decorated career.
The medal not only strengthened India’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya but also ended the country’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal.
