WATCH: Mirabai Chanu left teary-eyed after grand reception at Dance Deewane 3

Mirabai Chanu had opened India's medal tally in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 on July 24. Securing a silver medal in the Women's 49 kg Weightlifting category made her a sporting icon. Lately, the star weightlifter has been gaining popularity outside the sports sphere as well and made an appearance in a dance reality show titled Dance Deewane 3.

Dance Deewane 3 guest Mirabai Chanu left teary-eyed

Mirabai Chanu, who was a guest at Dance Deewane 3's Independence Day episode, received a warm reception on the show by the judges as well as the contestants. Two of the participants, Papai Antara and Tarun, dedicated a performance to the Indian athlete. Their act, showcasing Chanu's path to success, and her numerous accomplishments left the star weightlifter teary-eyed.

The performance showed the hardships Chanu has endured in her journey to becoming the sporting star she is today and eventually clinch the silver medal in the recently-concluded Tokyo Olympics 2020. 

After the amazing performance, both viewers and the judges, including iconic actor Madhuri Dixit Nene gave a standing ovation to the contestants and to Mirabai Chanu who recalled her struggling days.

"I remember everything (Mirabai paused for a while to hold back her emotions before talking about her struggles.) How I reached here and all the hardships that I had to face", the Manipuri athlete said.

Mirabai's road to glory in the weightlifting

While Mirabai Chanu did take Indian women's weightlifting to greater heights with her silver medal triumph in Tokyo, it wasn't India's first women's weightlifting medal at the quadrennial event. In 2000, Karnam Malleswari had won the bronze medal in the Sydney Olympics.

Finishing the event with a total lift of 202 kg, Chanu became the first Indian weightlifter to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games. For those unaware, Mirabai Chanu is also a Padma Shri awardee and was conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award by the Government of India in 2018 for her contribution to sports.

One of her most notable performances was in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Glasgow, where she won silver in the women's 48 kg weight category. Her biggest achievement before her Olympic win was the gold medal that she bagged at the World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim in 2017.