Mirabai Chanu wins gold at World Weightlifting Championships
November 30, 2017
NEW DELHI: Saikhom Mirabai Chanu has lifted a new world record of 194kg – 85kg snatch and 109kg clean-and-jerk – to lift gold at the World Weightlifting Championships, becoming only the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to achieve that feat. Thailand’s Sukcharoen Thunya won the silver medal with a total lift of 193, while Segura Ana Iris bagged bronze with 182kg.
Chanu, participating in the women’s 48kg event at the Championships held in Anaheim, USA, began with a total of 85kg and then followed up with 109kg to deliver India its second gold medal since Malleswari did the country proud in 1994 and 1995. This was a far cry from her performance at the Rio Olympics last year, where she put up a very disappointing performance. Chanu could not even get an overall total in women’s 48kg after failing to lift the weight in any of her three attempts in clean & jerk section.
In September, Chanu sealed passage to next year’s Commonwealth Games after winning gold at the Commonwealth Senior weightlifting championships held in Australia.
