Paris Olympics: Mirabai Chanu Finishes Fourth, Narrowly Misses Second Olympic Medal

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu narrowly missed securing a second Olympic medal, finishing fourth in the women's 49kg event on Wednesday. Despite her efforts, a failed lift in her final attempt dashed her hopes.

Mirabai, who turns 30 on Thursday, lifted a total of 199kg (88kg+111kg) at the South Paris Arena, which was 3kgs less than her Tokyo Olympics silver medal performance of 202kg.

Mirabai's performance included only three successful lifts out of six attempts. She managed just one successful lift in the clean and jerk section.

The former world champion remained in medal contention after the snatch event but failed to lift 114kg in her final clean and jerk attempt, which cost her a bronze medal.

Mirabai's Strategy and Challenges

Mirabai expressed satisfaction with her performance despite limited recovery time. "I am happy with the performance because I managed this despite having very little time for recovery," she told reporters. She mentioned that she was managing 85kg in practice and replicated it in the competition. "I was confident about clean and jerk also. It was my third day of the women's problem and that also affects you a bit," she added.

Her coach devised the strategy, and Mirabai followed it diligently. "It was going good, whatever the coach said I did. It is just destiny that I did not get a medal; I did my best," she said with a smile.

Competition Highlights

China's Hou Zhihui set a new Olympic record in clean and jerk, defending her title with a total lift of 206kg (89kg+117kg). Romanian Mihaela Cambei secured silver with a total of 205kg (93kg+112kg), while Surodchana Khambao from Thailand took bronze with an effort of 200kg (88kg+112kg).

Mirabai started with a modest 85kg on the barbells, smoothly lifting it while wearing gold earrings shaped like Olympic rings, gifted by her mother before the Rio Games. Despite an injury-plagued Olympic cycle, she kept herself in contention after the snatch section, which has always been challenging for her.

However, she missed her second lift while attempting to match her personal best of 88kg but succeeded in her final attempt to snatch 88kg. Cambei led after the snatch section with a final lift of 93kg, while Zhihui trailed by 4kgs at 89kg after managing only two legal lifts.

Final Attempts and Outcome

In the clean and jerk section, Mirabai had a shaky start as she was the last to take her first attempt. Although she cleaned 111kg, she couldn't complete the second part initially. She made a second attempt at the same weight and successfully lifted it to the relief of herself and the Indian coaches.

Unfortunately, Mirabai failed her final attempt at lifting 114kg, which was 5kgs less than her personal best in clean and jerk. This failure ultimately cost her a place on the podium.

Despite missing out on a medal, Mirabai's determination and effort were evident throughout the competition. Her journey continues to inspire many aspiring athletes in India and beyond.