Weightlifter Mira Bai Chanu said after winning the medal, the hopes of the whole country were on me… I was a little nervous
Former world champion weightlifter Mirabai Chanu gave India its first medal at the Tokyo Olympics by winning a silver medal in the women’s 49kg category on Saturday. For the first time in the history of these games, India won a medal on the first day. Weightlifter Mira Bai Chanu said that she is very happy to have won the title. She said that the whole country was watching me and they had all their hopes on me, I was a little nervous but I wanted to give my best performance and I worked hard for it. The 26-year-old Mirabai lifted a total of 202 kg (87+115) and became the first Indian woman lifter to win a silver at the Olympics. Chanu’s success comes 20 years after Karnam Malleswari won a bronze medal in the 69kg category at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Malleswari became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic medal. With this success, Chanu left behind the bad memories of the previous Rio Olympics in 2016 when she had failed in all three attempts in the clean and jerk. The gold medal in this event was won by Hou Zhihui of China with a total lift of 210 kg (94 + 116) while Aisah Windi Kantika of Indonesia won by lifting 194 kg (84 + 110). In these bouts held at the Tokyo International Forum, Chanu lifted 84 kg in her first attempt in the snatch. Later, Chanu lifted herself to a profitable position by lifting 87 kg. But Zhihui set a new Olympic record by lifting 88 kg in her first attempt and then lifting 94 kg in her third attempt.
