Architect Behind Ending India’s Asian Games Weightlifting Trophy Drought: Mirabai Chanu’s Asian Silver, Her Life and Journey

FROM THE NONGPOK KAKCHING VILLAGE in Manipur to the global weightlifting stage, Mirabai Chanu's journey is one of the most inspiring sporting stories in India—one that has put India firmly on the global map. Her campaign in the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, added a silver medal to her collection, making it her first Asian games medal. However, this victory was not only about Mirabai.

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This achievement successfully put an end to India’s 28-year drought in the Asian Games’ weightlifting event. The last weightlifting trophy at the Asian Games was won in Bangkok 1998, by Karnam Malleswari, who won the silver medal.

On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, Mirabai won the silver medal in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Aged 32, Mirabai lifted a total of 198 kg, which included 87 kg in the snatch format and 111 kg in the clean and jerk, finishing second to North Korea’s Ri Song-gum. In third place was Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri, who won the bronze medal, lifting a total weight of 191 kg.

From Manipur to the Global Stage

In 2014, Mirabai made her Commonwealth Games debut, at Glasgow, winning a silver medal in the 48 kg category. This was followed by a gold medal in the 2017 World Championships at California’s Anaheim, USA, in the 48 kg category. This brought her to a major global attention, and it was particularly her zeal to learn and improve which caught everyone’s eye. 

Sports enthusiasts were again impressed during the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Australia’s Gold Coast, where Mirabai went on to win the Gold Medal in the 48 kg category. What followed was a series of victories at different championships, of which the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Silver was a major milestone. Shifting to the 49 kg category, she successfully transitioned herself into a new category, and was able to leave a deep footprint. 

After that, Mirabai won a Gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games (49 kg); Silver at the the 2022 Bogotá World Championships in Columbia; Silver in Førde world championships, Norway; Gold in 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, and finally the Silver at Asian Games in Japan, 2026. 

Showcasing gratitude to her well-wishers, and reflecting on her journey, Mirabai took to X, and wrote, “Every performance is special.”

What’s Behind Mirabai Chanu’s Remarkable Sporting Career?

Saikom Mirabai Chanu was born on August 8,  1994, in the Nongpok Kakching village in Manipur’s Imphal, and began her weightlifting training at the age of 12  as a young athlete in 2008. Her father Saikhom Kriti Meitei, worked in the Public Works Department, and her mother, Saikhom Tombi Devi ran a small local shop.

She was the youngest of the six siblings at home, with very limited resources and means at their disposal. Her journey to the global stage began in her childhood, when she would carry the firewood bundles back home.

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Alongside weightlifting, Mirabai is also an Additional Superintendent of Police (sports) in Manipur—awarded by Manipur’s government after the Olympic games.  

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