Mirabai Chanu says Asian Games medal next target

Olympic silver medallist and three-time consecutive CWG gold medallist Mirabai Chanu acknowledged the pressure of high expectations, saying her next target is an elusive Asian Games medal. Chanu began her ascent at the 2014 Glasgow CWG with a silver medal before winning three consecutive golds in her weight category in Gold Coast in 2018, Birmingham in 2022 and Glasgow again in 2026. She also won the World Championships gold in 2017 and silver medals in 2022 and 2025, besides medals at the Asian and Common wealth Champion ships.

“Winning a medal makes you very happy, but it is also very difficult. You have more responsibilities and have to give your best in upcoming competitions. There is a lot of pressure. An Asian Games medal will be very important for me.

“I will try my best because I have to win where I have never won a medal before. So, the Asian Games is very important for me. Yes, I am aiming for an Asian Games medal next, for which there is pressure,” Chanu told PTI in an interview here on Sunday after returning from her successful CWG campaign in Glasgow.

“Some athletes are very happy when they win a medal. But for me, winning a medal gives me strength. I think I have to work even harder to win the next medal,” she added.

Recalling her happiest and saddest career moments -- both at different Olympics -- Chanu said regrouping and competing at her best again was difficult.

“There is a lot of pressure in every competition that I have to win this medal. That has been the story. Every athlete wants to participate in the Olympics. Getting a medal there was a dream, but I felt very sad when I missed it by a whisker in the Paris Olympics.  “It was very difficult to regroup and compete at the highest level. I had to plan ahead and work very hard,” she said.

Summarising her journey, Chanu said she had tried to live up to the responsibility and expectations placed on her. “I was very happy when I won the silver medal for India in 2014 in Glasgow. After that, I was given more responsibility for weightlifting. I had to decide what I wanted to do and how far I wanted to go.

“Gradually, I learned about international weightlifting and how much effort I had to put in. I tried my best to do what I wanted for Indian weightlifting. Gradually, I got support from everyone. I am very happy that I was able to achieve all this with the support of my coach Vijay Sharma sir,” she said. Chanu said there would be no special training ahead of the Asian Games and she would continue with her normal schedule.

“The key will be to remain injury-free leading up to the Games. No special training will be required; just the usual stuff,” she signed off, adding that she would be happy to receive her childhood dream of an Arjuna Award despite already holding Khel Ratna.