Mirabai Chanu - From carrying firewood to carrying the dream to win gold at Olympics

Collecting firewood in the hills was one of the means of livelihood for the family of Saikhom Sanatomba Meitei. Making one such trip the teenager wasn't able to lift a bundle of firewood on his head. It was then his sister, just 12 at the time and the youngest among six siblings, who managed to lift it with much ease and walked back home some two kilometers away. Eight years later, that girl - Saikhom Mirabai Chanu - lifted a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

 

It is almost unimaginable for a person who comes from a place that is not even on a map to win a series of medals on international platforms. Such unbelievable things happen only when determination and grit take over you to fulfill all these ambitions. One such example is Saikhom Mirabai Chanu.

 

 

 

Interestingly, she would have opted for archery as a career but her choice was weightlifting. After making a decision to pursue weightlifting, Chanu came across the story of Kunjarani Devi - a seven-time silver-medallist in the World Championships and a fellow Manipur native. In fact, Chanu trained under Kunjarani Devi later in her career.

 

 

She sprung to international prominence at the age of 20, when she bagged the silver medal in the 48kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland. Since then, it was the rise and rise of Chanu. However, obstacles started to pop out when she qualified for Rio Olympics. Her first appearance Olympics would turned out to be a disappointment as she failed to finish the event after she could not lift the weight in any of her three attempts in clean & jerk section. In her own words, nerves got the better of her. The hostility back home after that poor performance even saw her contemplate quitting the sport.

 

 

Following the disappointment in Rio, Chanu won the gold medal at the 2017 World Championship after lifting 194 kg – 85 kg in snatch and 109 kg in clean and jerk categories. This was a massive achievement as, after a gap of 22 years since Karnam Malleswari won in 1995, an Indian athlete won gold at the World Championship. After this, she won a series of medals making a heavy presence in weightlifting.

 

 

Overcoming injuries was one of the major disadvantages that stood as an obstacle in her life. She had missed out on the 2018 Asian Games and World Weightlifting Championships because of the injury. Last year too, she experienced discomfort in September during her time at home and thereafter, left for the USA for her rehabilitation and training program. She went through difficult times but a corrective exercise under the tutelage of Dr.Aaron Horschig, a strength and conditioning coach in the USA, and weightlifting coach Vijay Sharma made her stronger physically and mentally.

 

 

Earlier this year in April, Mirabai Chanu lifted 86kg in snatch and a world record of 119kg in clean and jerk for a total of 205kg which won her the bronze medal after making a solid comeback from injuries. The previous world record mark in clean and jerk was 118kg and Chanu's personal best in the 49kg category was 203kg (88kg+115kg). Now, the 26-year-old is a star name in the weightlifting circles and is a recipient of the country's highest sporting honour - Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award - and the country's fourth-highest civilian award - the Padma Shri.

 

 

From carrying firewood as a 12-year-old to being earning gold medals on international podiums, weightlifter Mirabai Chanu's story is one of a remarkable rise. Indeed, she has become a potential athlete to win a medal at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics making her sports career more a remarkable one!