Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu made a winning return to competition, clinching gold in the women’s 48kg category at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad on Monday, August 25.
The 30-year-old weightlifter lifted a total of 193kg (84kg snatch, 109kg clean and jerk), finishing well ahead of Malaysia’s Irene Henry (161kg) and Wales’ Nikole Roberts (150kg). The victory also marked her third Commonwealth Championships gold after wins in 2013 and 2017.
Competing in the 48kg class for the first time since 2018 — following the scrapping of the 49kg division in which she won Olympic silver — Mirabai set new Commonwealth records in both snatch and clean and jerk. Despite failing her opening snatch attempt at 84kg, she recovered strongly and came close to lifting 89kg. In clean and jerk, she cleared 105kg and 109kg before narrowly missing out on 113kg.
“This gold medal on home soil is very special. The crowd’s support gave me immense motivation. It’s a big confidence boost ahead of the World Championships in October,” Mirabai said after her win.
Mirabai had last competed at the Paris Olympics, where she finished fourth in the 49kg category. With this victory, she now shifts her focus to the World Championships and the 2026 Commonwealth Games, while also targeting a breakthrough medal at the Asian Games next year.
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