CWG 2022: Short in height, tall in stature, Mirabai stays focussed in battle with self

Birmingham: It would not be wrong to say it was ‘Mirabai v Mirabai’ in the 49kg Category of Women’s Weightlifting at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Mirabai duly delivered and then made clear her future goals: The World Championships in Colombia in December and 2024 Paris Olympics.

There was not a trace of overconfidence of boastfulness as she met the media after India’s first gold of these Games, and said, “I had said earlier I was competing with myself here. Everyone knows Commonwealth Games is easy for me but I never take it lightly. There is pressure of having it easy as well. I know what areas to improve on going forward.”

Also read: Mirabai clinches India’s 1st gold, sets records

When asked if she thought about the one-woman show that competition became, she said, “I look at what they are doing but my focus is on the six lifts I need to do.”

“I won a gold medal and broke the record in 2018 and I’m happy to have repeated that feat today. It gives me absolute delight,” added the pint-size Manipur lifter, whose deeds give her such a tall stature in sport and life.

Bunch of records

A sense of realisation coupled with an ability to motivate herself in the face of almost ‘no competition’ has carried India’s star weightlifter, the less-than-five foot tall Mirabai to a bunch of records and a gold medal that was almost a foregone conclusion even before the competition.

Lifting 201kg never felt easy but thanks to the love and wishes of billions back home, every challenge is just an attempt away. 🇮🇳#WeAreTeamIndia #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/GnyaftZkpv

— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) July 30, 2022

The morning session saw Sanket Mahadev Sargar of Sangli in men’s 55kg and Poojary Gururaja from Udupi, Karnataka in 61kg put India on the medals tally with one silver and one bronze.

Also read: Sargar’s golden hopes hit by injury; Gururaja wins bronze

Mirabai came on to the stage, only after all others had finished with their lifts in both snatch and Clean & Jerk. The margins between her and the rest were so huge that it was almost embarrassing. Mirabai’s best in snatch of 88kg was 12kg better than the next best and in C&J her best lift of 113kg was 16kgs better than the next best. In terms of the total, she was 29kg better than the second placed, Marie Hanitra Roilya Ranaivosoa 172 kg (76 kg plus 96kg). Ranaivosoa knew she was competing for silver, just as she did in Gold Coast four years ago.

Chanu’s self-motivation was evident from what she did in both snatch and C&J. After attaining big leads she still tried for more in the third lift of both segments. She failed at 90kg (after successfully lifting 88kg) and she ‘stumbled’ so did the hearts of her fans, but there was nothing to worry as she got up smiling. Then she failed at 115kg in C&J, but had already lifted 113kg.

My mom and other relatives celebrating victory at my home ✌️ pic.twitter.com/sTCIoTDVwM

— Saikhom Mirabai Chanu (@mirabai_chanu) July 31, 2022

On her own growth in technique, Mirabai said, “I felt my technique in snatch is getting better. I came back from Tokyo Olympics knowing I needed to work on snatch and that would benefit me going forward. I still need to do more with my technique to touch 90kg. My target at World Championships is to match my record in clean and jerk (119kg).”

‘I would like to have a pizza’

Backed by the massive presence of the South Asian community on Birmingham streets and inside the stadia, Indian athletes are quite at home. Mirabai, as also Sargar, Gururaja and later on Bindiyarani Devi, have loved that support. They hung around long after their events, posed with fans for pictures, signed autographs. And they certainly cannot complain about of lack of Indian food as in many other competitions.

Also read: Dutee, Malala stand out as powerful messages from Birmingham

On what she is looking forward to next, Mirabai laughed and told some media persons, “I would like to have a pizza.” That’s among the things she and her colleagues, including Bindyarani, had to avoid in the run-up.

Mirabai added, “Every athlete wants the crowd to back them and roar for them and I was taken aback that there was such a huge Indian presence in Birmingham. They were roaring their lungs out for me, and it pepped me on. I’m so grateful that they were here.”