Mirabai Chanu finally added an Asian Games medal to her remarkable international résumé, winning silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026. From her Olympic silver to becoming a world champion and setting a world record, here are five defining achievements of the Indian weightlifter’s career.
Mirabai Chanu has completed another major chapter in her decorated weightlifting career.
The Indian star won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, finishing with a combined total of 198kg.
Chanu lifted 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum claimed gold with 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.
The medal was particularly significant because it was Chanu’s first Asian Games podium finish. She had finished ninth at the 2014 Asian Games, missed the 2018 edition because of injury and came fourth at the 2023 Hangzhou Games after an injury affected her final clean-and-jerk attempt.
Her latest silver adds an Asian Games medal to a career that already includes Olympic, World Championships and Commonwealth Games success.
1. Asian Games Silver in 2026
Chanu’s long wait for an Asian Games medal ended in Aichi-Nagoya.
The 32-year-old successfully completed all three of her snatch attempts, lifting 83kg, 85kg and 87kg. She then opened her clean-and-jerk campaign with 107kg before successfully lifting 111kg on her second attempt.
Her combined total of 198kg was enough to secure silver behind Ri Song Gum.
The result also marked another milestone in Chanu’s career, as she became one of the few Indian weightlifters to have won medals across the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, in addition to continental and Commonwealth-level championships.
2. Olympic Silver at Tokyo 2020
One of the biggest moments of Chanu’s career came at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she won silver in the women’s 49kg category.
Chanu produced a total of 202kg to finish second and become India’s first weightlifter to win an Olympic medal since Karnam Malleswari claimed bronze at the Sydney 2000 Games.
The achievement was particularly significant given Chanu’s earlier Olympic disappointment. At the Rio 2016 Olympics, she failed to register a valid total.
Five years later, she returned to the Olympic stage and produced a historic silver-medal performance in Tokyo.
3. World Champion in 2017
Before her Olympic breakthrough, Chanu had already established herself as a leading name in international weightlifting.
At the 2017 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Anaheim, United States, she won gold in the women’s 48kg category.
Chanu lifted 85kg in the snatch and 109kg in the clean and jerk, finishing with a total of 194kg.
The victory made her India’s first World Weightlifting Championships gold medallist since Karnam Malleswari’s successes in 1994 and 1995.
Chanu later added World Championships silver medals in 2022 and 2025. At the 2025 World Championships in Forde, Norway, she recorded a total of 199kg, comprising an 84kg snatch and 115kg clean and jerk.
4. Three Consecutive Commonwealth Games Gold Medals
The Commonwealth Games have been another major stage for Chanu’s success.
She won her first Commonwealth Games gold at Gold Coast 2018, competing in the 48kg category. She then successfully defended her title at Birmingham 2022, this time in the 49kg division.
At Glasgow 2026, Chanu completed a hat-trick of Commonwealth Games gold medals by winning the women’s 48kg event.
She recorded a total of 190kg, lifting 85kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk.
Her Glasgow performance also brought two Games records, with her total and snatch mark both setting new Commonwealth Games benchmarks, according to the supplied results.
Chanu’s Commonwealth Games record also includes a silver medal from Glasgow 2014, where she competed in the 48kg category.
5. World-Record 119kg Clean and Jerk
Another landmark in Chanu’s career came at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent.
Competing in the women’s 49kg category, she lifted 119kg in the clean and jerk, setting a world record at the time.
She also recorded an 86kg snatch during the competition.
The 119kg clean and jerk surpassed the previous world mark in the category and remained the record until September 2023.
The lift underlined Chanu’s strength in the clean and jerk, an area that has remained central to her success at the highest level.
Mirabai Chanu’s Major Career Milestones
| Achievement | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Asian Games | Aichi-Nagoya 2026 | Silver, 49kg |
| Olympics | Tokyo 2020 | Silver, 49kg |
| World Championships | Anaheim 2017 | Gold, 48kg |
| Commonwealth Games | 2018, 2022, 2026 | Three consecutive gold medals |
| Asian Weightlifting Championships | Tashkent 2021 | 119kg clean-and-jerk world record |
Chanu’s Asian Games silver now fills one of the most notable gaps in her medal collection. After three previous Asian Games campaigns without a podium finish, the Aichi-Nagoya result gives the Indian weightlifting star another major continental achievement to add to her Olympic, World Championships and Commonwealth Games record.
