Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally claimed her long-awaited Asian Games medal on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, winning silver in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The result also ended India’s 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the continental multi-sport event
Competing at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center, the 32-year-old Tokyo Olympic silver medallist totalled 198kg (87kg snatch + 111kg clean & jerk). North Korea’s Ri Song Gum dominated the event to win gold with a record-breaking 215kg (94kg + 121kg), completing a hat-trick of Asian Games titles. Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.
How the Competition Unfolded
Chanu was clinical in the snatch, successfully completing all three attempts at 83kg, 85kg and 87kg to finish the first half in third place. In the clean & jerk, she opened comfortably with 107kg and then nailed 111kg on her second attempt. With silver secured, she did not take a third attempt.
The silver completes a major gap in Chanu’s exceptional career. She already holds an Olympic silver (Tokyo 2020), World Championship medals (including gold), three consecutive Commonwealth Games golds, and an Asian Championships bronze. The Asian Games podium had remained elusive across previous appearances (ninth in 2014, injury absence in 2018, and fourth in Hangzhou 2023).
Historic Significance for India
Chanu’s medal is India’s first in weightlifting at the Asian Games since Karnam Malleswari won silver in the women’s 63kg category at Bangkok 1998. It also makes Chanu only the second Indian weightlifter, after Malleswari, to win medals across all major international competitions — Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and continental championships.
Speaking after the event, Chanu expressed relief and joy at fulfilling a long-held dream: “Winning an Asian Games medal is a dream come true. I have been chasing this medal for the last 12 years… My life is complete now with this medal.”
The result added valuable points to India’s growing medal tally at the ongoing Asian Games and reinforced Chanu’s status as one of the country’s greatest weightlifters.