Mirabai Chanu Wins Silver in 49 kg Weightlifting at Asian Games 2026

Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu clinched her maiden Asian Games medal on Wednesday, 23rd September, 2026, winning silver in the women's 49 kg category at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center in Aichi-Nagoya. She lifted a total of 198 kg, finishing behind North Korea's Ri Song Gum (215 kg) and ahead of Indonesia's Wijayana Luluk Diana Tri, who took bronze.

Mirabai Chanu Ends India's 28-Year Weightlifting Medal Drought

Chanu's silver brings India back onto the Asian Games weightlifting podium after nearly three decades, a gap that had stretched on despite the country producing several world-class lifters in that time. Her achievement is especially significant given that she'd narrowly missed a medal at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, finishing fourth after an injury derailed her final clean and jerk attempt. This time, she made sure there was no such setback.

Mirabai Chanu Completed All Three Snatch Attempts Successfully

A big part of Chanu's success came from her flawless snatch performance. She successfully completed all three of her snatch attempts, progressively lifting 83 kg, 85 kg, and 87 kg; building a strong foundation before moving into the clean and jerk, where she added 111 kg to seal her total of 198 kg and the silver medal.

Mirabai Chanu's Medal Record

Mirabai Chanu, 30, has built one of the most consistent careers in Indian weightlifting. She set a world record clean and jerk lift of 119 kg at the 2021 Asian Weightlifting Championships, a mark she held until September 2023. At the Commonwealth Games, she has been especially dominant, setting records in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift categories in the 49 kg class in 2018, and she went on to improve at both the 2022 and 2026 editions.

1. 2026 – Asian Games, Aichi–Nagoya – Silver – 49kg
2. 2026 – Commonwealth Games, Glasgow – Gold – 48kg
3. 2025 – World Championships, Førde – Silver – 48kg
4. 2022 – Commonwealth Games, Birmingham – Gold – 49kg
5. 2022 – World Championships, Bogotá – Silver – 49kg
6. 2020 – Olympic Games, Tokyo – Silver – 49kg
7. 2020 – Asian Championships, Tashkent – Bronze – 49kg
8. 2018 – Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast – Gold – 48kg
9. 2017 – World Championships, Anaheim – Gold – 48kg
10. 2014 – Commonwealth Games, Glasgow – Silver – 48kg