Mirabai Chanu carries Indian weightlifting as juniors rise but doping woes persist in 2025

Indian weightlifting once again revolved around the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the single biggest achievement for the sport in a year marked by doping concerns and senior-level stagnation.

Returning after an injury-forced hiatus of over a year, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist claimed Commonwealth Championships gold on home soil. She then added a World Championships silver in the 48kg category, reaffirming her status as the sport’s flag-bearer even as the elusive 90kg snatch lift remained out of reach for her.

Mirabai magic

Chanu, who had been side-lined since the Paris Games in 2024, marked a successful return to competition by claiming the gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad in August, albeit against a weak field. She sustained the momentum by adding a third World Championships medal to her glittering trophy cabinet. The silver at Forde, Norway was achieved with a total lift of 199kg, 84kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk section. However, not only did

the coveted 90kg snatch continue to elude her, the Manipuri lifter failed to even improve her personal best performance. “In the context of Mirabai, this year has been good. She came to competition after a long time, and won a silver medal at the World Championships which was uplifting after the failure of Paris Olympics,” chief coach Vijay Sharma said.

In what can be construed as a fresh challenge for her, the International Weightlifting Federation changed the Olympic weight categories for the second time in a year. In the latest reshuffle, Chanu’s current 48kg category was dropped from the Olympic programme. As a result, she will eventually have to move up to the 53kg class, the lowest women’s category at the Los Angeles Games. For now, she will continue competing in the 48kg division, with an eye on the Asian Games scheduled for next year, an event where a medal has remained out of her grasp.

Beyond Chanu, there were no other standout performances from the senior lifters during the season. While Indians managed medals at the Commonwealth Championships against an inferior field, none of the performances came close to world-class standards. At the Asian Championships too, Nirupama Devi finished fourth in the women’s 64kg while Dilbag Singh was ninth in the men’s 96kg category competition, reflecting that the Commonwealth level remains the only arena where India can consistently assert dominance.

Dope cheats galore

The persistent menace of doping once again cast a long shadow over Indian weightlifting. India was flagged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as the worst doping offender for the third consecutive year, based on 2024 data, with weightlifting accounting for the second-highest number of violations.

The gravity of the situation was evident at the Khelo India University Games earlier this month, where several lifters reportedly went missing in action after entering their names. The competition witnessed a spate of DNSs (Did Not Start) entries following the arrival of anti-doping officials.

Juniors make a mark

Amid the gloom, the rise of junior and youth lifters offered genuine hope as Indian weightlifting headed into a crucial year with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled next season. “The second line is developing well. The juniors did very well at the Commonwealth Championships.

“There were youth world records and their totals were very good, equal to what the senior national champions are lifting,” Sharma said. Koyel Bar set two youth world records at the Commonwealth Championships on home soil in August, while Priteesmita Bhoi broke the youth world record in clean and jerk on her way to winning gold in the girls’ 44kg category at the Youth Asian Games later in the year.