Just 3 days after returning from the Commonwealth Games, Mirabai Chanu is back in training and has already started her preparation for the 2026 Asian Games.
On 26 July, Mirabai Chanu won a historic Gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. She became the first weightlifter to win a hat-trick of Commonwealth Games Gold medals. Mirabai now has four Commonwealth Games medals to her name. She made her debut at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, where she won a Silver medal. Then, in 2018, 2022, and 2026, she won three consecutive Gold medals. It is not easy to win three consecutive Commonwealth Games Gold medals, and Mirabai became the first woman weightlifter to achieve this milestone.
This is only because of her champion mindset. Just three days after winning Gold, she is back on the training field as she prepares for the biggest challenge of her career. For the last few years, Mirabai has competed in the 49kg category, but at the 2026 Asian Games she is expected to compete in the 53kg category, as the LA 2028 Olympic Games will no longer include the 49kg category. The Olympic weight categories have been revised, and Mirabai’s target is now the 53kg category. It will not be easy for her to switch categories, and it will be a tricky challenge.
At the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Gyaneshwari Yadav won the Silver medal in the women’s 53kg category with a total lift of 199kg, while Nigeria’s Joy Ogbonne Eze won Gold with a Commonwealth Games record lift of 206kg. If Mirabai Chanu wants to make her mark and win a medal at the 2026 Asian Games, she may need to lift around 200kg or more. She will also face competition from Gyaneshwari Yadav, who is expected to compete in the same category. Despite competing on the first day of her period, Gyaneshwari won the Silver medal, and at just 22 years old, she has shown that she can challenge Mirabai.
In an interview with The Times of India, Gyaneshwari Yadav said that Mirabai Chanu is her idol, and she is looking forward to giving her best against her idol.
It will be interesting to see how Mirabai Chanu’s career progresses from here. Can she overcome this challenge, make India proud once again, and win Gold at the Asian Games and another Olympic medal?