India’s weightlifting icon Mirabai Chanu marked the start of her 2026 season with a commanding performance at the National Weightlifting Championships in Modinagar, rewriting national records and reaffirming her elite status on the domestic stage.
Competing in the women’s 48kg category, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist registered three new Indian national records. Chanu lifted 89kg in the snatch, her highest-ever in competition before producing a clean and jerk of 116kg, also a national best in the category. Her combined total of 205kg secured her the gold medal and matched her personal best total, previously achieved in the 49kg category at the Asian Championships five years ago.
The achievement was particularly significant as Chanu has traditionally competed in the 49kg division, which was removed from the International Weightlifting Federation’s official weight categories last year. Despite dropping down a class, the Manipur-born lifter showed no signs of compromise in strength or technique.
“I am very happy with the performance,” Chanu said after her win. “Even after moving from 49kg to 48kg, my performance has improved. That gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”
Chanu opened her snatch sequence with a solid 86kg before comfortably improving it by 3kg. Snatch had long been considered her weaker lift compared to clean and jerk, but the 31-year-old finally showed a breakthrough after years of stagnation in the discipline.
“I had been stuck at 88kg for a long time. I’m happy to finally cross that mark,” she said. “I haven’t lifted 90kg even in training yet, but I believe it will come in the next competitions.”
She attempted 91kg in her final snatch lift but narrowly missed, with the bar slipping from her grip. Her coach Vijay Sharma remained optimistic despite the miss.
“Our aim at Nationals was to push her close to 90kg because participation was compulsory,” Sharma explained. “She was very close, and I feel it should have been cleared.”
With multiple Olympic, World Championship and Commonwealth Games medals already to her name, one major title continues to elude Mirabai Chanu, a medal at the Asian Games. The 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya could be her final opportunity to complete that missing piece of her decorated career.
Chanu plans to remain in the 48kg category through the Commonwealth Games before switching back to 49kg ahead of the Asian Games, a transition that presents its own challenges. “I will stay at 48kg till the Commonwealth Games, but the Asian Games are in 49kg, so I’ll need to move back quickly,” she said. “My main focus is the Asian Games. After that, I will think about the Olympics.”
Coach Sharma echoed the sentiment, highlighting the difficulty of competing against athletes who will train exclusively in the 49kg class throughout the season.
“The real test will be the Asian Games,” he said. “Others will have more time in that category, but we are planning carefully.”
