‘If the Chinese and Koreans can do it, why can’t we?’ – Mirabai Chanu: A silver worth the ‘pain’ | More sports News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A wrist injury at the National Games this year had made it difficult for Mirbai Chanu to even grip the barbell. With the World Championships just two months away then, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist had no choice but to manage the injury. And Chanu did that well. A second World Championships medal, a silver in the 49kg weight category, was worth all the ‘pain’.
An 87kg lift in Snatch and 113kg in clean and jerk was enough to put Chanu at second place on the podium with a total of 200kg. But that’s where she and her coach Vijay Sharma put a fullstop to adding more iron plates. They didn’t want to risk hurting the wrist more, with still a year and a half left in the Paris 2024 Olympics qualification cycle for weightlifting, which began on August 1, 2022.

But the world record holder in clean and jerk (119kg) had to summon each ounce of her grit and energy in Bogota, Colombia.
She failed an 87kg attempt in snatch before registering a successful lift with considerable difficulty. Chanu has often mentioned touching 90kg in snatch as a target, but this time it was about staying on the podium while carrying an injury. For that, 87kg was enough.
The wide grip on snatch is where she is still finding it tough. Receiving the bar overhead in squat position is the point where Chanu’s weakened wrist muscles are the most vulnerable at the moment.

Her first 111kg lift in clean and jerk also saw red lights, before she pulled it off in her second attempt, and then adding two more kilos to it for 113kg, which clinched her the silver medal — behind China’s Jiang Huihua‘s total lift of 206kg (93kg, 113kg) for gold. Huihua’s compatriot and reigning 49kg Olympic champion Hou Zhihui settled for bronze with a total of 198kg (89kg, 109kg).
Beating a Chinese, and the Tokyo Olympics gold medallist is something that Chanu has always dreamt of doing. When she won gold (48kg) at the 2017 World Championships, China was not part of the competition held in California. She finished fourth in 2019 and skipped the World Championships in 2021.

When TimesofIndia.com got in touch with Chanu, she was a little unwell, down with a bad cold and a stomach bug following her competition. But she was gracious enough to return soon after some rest and sit down for a chat.
Excerpts…
A second international medal of 2022 after the Commonwealth Games gold and also second World Championships medal. But you seem a bit under the weather…
Yes, I have caught a cold and have an upset stomach. But it’s a bit better this morning after some rest.
An athlete’s life is tough, right?
(Smiles). Yes. Training mei bhi focus karna aur baaki sab…Kar rahi hu, sabko khush rakhna hai (have to focus on training and also manage everything else. Trying to do it; I have to keep everyone happy). That is our life.
Your wrist has made as much news as your medal. But a remarkable achievement to be injured and still end up on the podium…
Thank you. This injury was discovered on the MRI I had after the National Games. Because of overload and excessive training, there is an injury in the muscle. I think they (doctors) call it a cyst in their language, something bloody. However, the pain is not continuous. It comes and goes. It’s off and on. It was fine in between, but when I was training in the US, I felt the pain again.
How did you manage it in such a competitive field at the World Championships?
Especially in snatch, it (the wrist) is very important. I wore a wrist band, which I have never done before, but had to wear it so that I don’t feel much pain because it would have been very difficult for me had the injury worsened. So I supported my muscles with the band. Also, my physio has prescribed some exercise. The small muscles of the wrist are feeling the load. So I am following all the exercises for that. It has helped me.
You finished ahead of the Olympic champion but lost to the gold medallist by just two kilograms. Was it a strategic move to not worsen your injury by adding more weight?
Yes, in snatch we decided to only go up to a certain weight because of the wrist injury, maximum 88kg. In clean & Jerk, I thought I would lift a higher weight, but in the first attempt they (judges) ruled it a no-lift.
You, of course, were mindful of your wrist…
I couldn’t afford hurting my wrist more as there are important competitions lined up, like the Asian Championships and the Asian Games. My focus is on that now after recovering from this injury.
So we can say the gold slipped out of your grasp because of injury…
(Smiles) Yes.
But you still ended up beating a Chinese athlete. That must be very satisfying…
If they (China and Korea) can do it, why can’t we? So I always used to think that beating the Chinese is a dream for Indian weightlifting and for me as well. It’s a fight between China, Korea and me. So I am always up to compete with them.
You are 28 now. The Paris Olympics are surely on your roster, but is your body somewhere telling you to go slow, manage your workload?
By over training, something or the other happens. Not just with weightlifters, it can happen with any player (of any sport), small things become weak somewhere. Sometimes I have issues with my back, sometimes with my wrist. Sir (coach Vijay Sharma) has also advised me that now, in the long run, I will have to do what I didn’t do before…like which muscles in the wrist, back, shoulders need to be worked on. If I do it regularly, I will be able to maintain my body and avoid injury. I have started with that already before and after training.
What’s next on your list of objectives?
First focus is on recovering from this (wrist) injury…For me, the Asian Games are very important as India doesn’t have a weightlifting gold medal in the Asian Games.