Mirabai Chanu's inspiring journey from battling depression to Olympic glory at Tokyo games

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu opened India’s medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics, winning the silver medal in the Women's 49kg category. Chanu finished the event with a total lift of 202 kg, only second to China's Hoi Zhuihui who set a new Olympic record with a total lift of 210kgs. Mirabai Chanu’s Silver Medal is more than just an achievement for the weightlifter as she redeemed herself from the heartbreak of the Rio Olympics.

Mirabai Chanu wins silver at Tokyo Olympics

Chanu started the competition by lifting 84kg in her first attempt during the snatch event. The Indian lifter upped her ante to lift 87kg in her second attempt. Chanu failed to lift 89 kg in the third attempt allowing contender Zhuihui to top of the table. The Chinese weightlifter made a new Olympic record while Mirabai Chanu landed India a silver medal. The journey of the athlete’s silver medal at Tokyo, started in 2016 when she crashed out of the Rio Olympics.

Mirabai Chanu Rio Olympics

Five years ago, Mirabai Chanu’s dreams and hopes were destroyed in Rio after she failed to mark five of her six lifts as valid. Chanu who had emerged as a surprise long-shot contender for a medal at Rio was hopeful. She lifted the country’s hopes after she ranked 6th at the end of the snatch section. However, things quickly turned as she failed to register a single valid lift in clean and jerk, which was the lifter’s stronger suit. Chanu had heartbreak and was forced to return home with a DNF (Did not Finish).

Mirabai Chanu, who had earlier won a silver at the Commonwealth Games 2014, hit a new low after the failure of the 2016 Rio Olympics. In a later interview, Chanu revealed that she hit a new low after the event and was depressed. Chanu publicly spoke about the mental aspect of a sport like weightlifting and admitted to having sought help from a sports psychologist in order to overcome the low she faced after the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, the lifter found her way back and made a strong comeback in 2017.

Mirabai Chanu withdraws from the Asian Games

Mirabai Chanu withdrew from the 2018 Asian Games, providing a severe blow to India's medal hopes in the event. The weightlifter who carried an injury asked Indian Weightlifting Federation for more time to recover from a back injury. Chanu’s specific request claimed that she wanted to be in perfect fitness in time for the Olympic Qualifiers. The weightlifter found her form during the break and went on to have a strong qualifying session. Now, she went on to clinch the silver medal at the event, completing her road to redemption.

Mirabai Chanu history

Mirabai Chanu became the first Indian athlete to bag gold at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The weightlifter from Manipur broke the games record in both the Snatch and Clean & Jerk categories, on her way to a Gold medal in the 48 Kg weight class. Chanu who had also won a silver medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, had marked 86 kg in snatch and 119 kg in clean and jerk to complete her record.

IMAGE: AP