Indian weightlifting once again showed the enduring brilliance of Mirabai Chanu, whose World Championships silver was the sport’s most significant achievement in a year marked by doping concerns and a lack of progress at the senior level.
After a hiatus of over a year due to injury, the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist won gold at the Commonwealth Championships on home soil. She then secured a World Championships silver in the 48kg category, reaffirming her status as the sport’s flag-bearer, although the elusive 90kg snatch lift remained out of her reach.
Mirabai Magic
Chanu, who had been sidelined since the Paris Games in 2024, made a successful return to competition by claiming gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad in August, albeit
against a weak field.
She maintained her momentum by adding a third World Championships medal to her collection. The silver in Forde, Norway, was achieved with a total lift of 199kg—84kg in the snatch and 115kg in the clean and jerk.
However, not only did the coveted 90kg snatch continue to elude her, but the Manipuri lifter also failed to improve her personal best. “In the context of Mirabai, this year has been good.
She returned to competition after a long time and won a silver medal at the World Championships, which was uplifting after the failure of the Paris Olympics,” chief coach Vijay Sharma told PTI.
In a new challenge for her, the International Weightlifting Federation changed the Olympic weight categories for the second time in a year. In the latest reshuffle, Chanu’s current 48kg category was dropped from the Olympic programme.
As a result, she will eventually have to move up to the 53kg class, the lowest women’s category at the Los Angeles Games. For now, she will continue competing in the 48kg division, with an eye on the Asian Games next year, where a medal has remained elusive for her.
Beyond Chanu, there were no other standout performances from senior lifters during the season. While Indians managed medals at the Commonwealth Championships against weaker competition, none of the performances were world-class.
At the Asian Championships, Nirupama Devi finished fourth in the women’s 64kg, while Dilbag Singh was ninth in the men’s 96kg category, reflecting that the Commonwealth level remains the only arena where India can consistently assert dominance.
Dope cheats galore
The persistent menace of doping once again cast a long shadow over Indian weightlifting. India was flagged by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as the worst doping offender for the third consecutive year, based on 2024 data, with weightlifting accounting for the second-highest number of violations.
The seriousness of the situation was evident at the Khelo India University Games earlier this month, where several lifters reportedly went missing after entering their names.
The competition saw a spate of DNS (Did Not Start) entries following the arrival of anti-doping officials.
Juniors make a mark
Amid the gloom, the rise of junior and youth lifters offered genuine hope as Indian weightlifting headed into a crucial year with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games scheduled next season.
“The second line is developing well. The juniors did very well at the Commonwealth Championships. There were youth world records, and their totals were very good, equal to what the senior national champions are lifting,” Sharma said.
Koyel Bar set two youth world records at the Commonwealth Championships on home soil in August, while Priteesmita Bhoi broke the youth world record in clean and jerk on her way to winning gold in the girls’ 44kg category at the Youth Asian Games later in the year.
(With PTI Inputs)
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