The medal that was missing: Mirabai Chanu finally wins Asian Games silver

Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu won her maiden Asian Games medal on Wednesday, claiming silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.

Chanu recorded a combined lift of 198kg, with 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won gold with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze.

The silver completes a missing piece in Chanu’s major international medal collection. She had previously won an Olympic silver medal, World Championship gold and multiple Commonwealth Games titles, but had not reached the podium at the Asian Games.

Chanu came close at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where she finished fourth after an injury affected her final clean and jerk attempt. Her latest performance in Aichi-Nagoya finally brought her an Asian Games medal.

The Indian weightlifter successfully completed all three of her snatch attempts, lifting 83kg, 85kg and 87kg. She then opened the clean and jerk with 107kg before successfully lifting 111kg on her second attempt to finish with a total of 198kg.

The result also marked India’s return to the Asian Games weightlifting podium after a 28-year gap. Karnam Malleswari was the last Indian weightlifter to win an Asian Games medal, taking silver in the 1998 edition in Bangkok.

Chanu’s medal also adds another major achievement to a career that has included Olympic, World Championship and Commonwealth Games success. According to the ANI report, she becomes the second Indian weightlifter after Malleswari to win medals across the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Championships.

Her silver came during a busy medal-winning day for India at Aichi-Nagoya, with Indian athletes also securing medals in shooting and soft tennis and progressing in several other disciplines.