Our Bureau
Ahmedabad
Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu announced her return to the international stage with a record-breaking performance, clinching the gold medal in the women’s 48kg category at the Commonwealth Championships on Monday. The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist lifted a total of 193kg — 84kg in snatch and 109kg in clean and jerk — setting new Commonwealth Championship records.
Chanu, 31, was competing after a year-long injury layoff and admitted she was not at her best. She managed only three successful lifts from six attempts, showing visible discomfort in her right knee during the snatch. After failing her opening attempt at 84kg, she cleared it on her second try but stumbled again at 89kg. Despite the missteps, her consistency and pedigree ensured she remained well ahead of her rivals.
In clean and jerk, Chanu began convincingly with 105kg, improved to 109kg, but was unable to complete her final lift of 113kg. Nevertheless, her earlier efforts were enough to seal the gold without any real challenge from her competitors.
Malaysia’s Irene Henry took silver with a total of 161kg (73kg snatch, 88kg clean and jerk), while Wales’ Nikole Roberts secured bronze after lifting 150kg (70kg snatch, 80kg clean and jerk).
This victory marked Chanu’s return to the 48kg weight class, a category in which she previously won a World Championship title and two Commonwealth Games medals. She had not competed in this division since 2018, focusing instead on the Olympic 49kg class.
Chanu’s comeback performance underlined both her resilience and dominance, re-establishing her as India’s premier weightlifting star and providing fresh momentum in the build-up to future international challenges.
