Indian weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu achieved a long-awaited milestone on Wednesday as she claimed silver in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The result gave her a maiden Asian Games medal and added the missing continental honour to her decorated career.
Following her historic performance, the 32-year-old asked the government to consider her for the Arjuna Award, which remains absent from her list of major sporting honours.
“I would like to request that the government give me the Arjuna Award. I will be very happy. The Arjuna Award is the biggest. I don’t have it, and I want it. I will be very happy if the government considers my achievement and awards it to me,” Chanu said.
Chanu registered a combined lift of 198kg, comprising 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk.
North Korea’s Ri Song-gum took gold, while Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri secured bronze.
Chanu said the success brought back memories of her emotional celebrations in Glasgow and described the Asian Games medal as the fulfilment of a dream she had pursued for years.
“Yes, I was very emotional in Glasgow. They were happy tears. Today also I felt like crying. I had tears in my eyes out of happiness, but I didn’t cry and was very happy. I got what I wanted. Today, my dream has come true. I am very happy with this medal. I have been dreaming of winning a medal in the Asian Games for many years,” Chanu concluded.
Chanu’s silver ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. Karnam Malleswari had previously won India’s last medal in the discipline at the 1998 Bangkok Games.
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