Mirabai Chanu Struggles With Hip Issue At Asian Weightlifting Championships

Hip problems have hampered Mirabai Chanu’s performance at the Asian Weightlifting Championships, thus she could only rank 6th position.

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finished sixth in the 49 kg category at the Asian Championships on May 6, 2023, after managing only two good lifts. 

She lifted 85 kg in snatch and 109 kg in clean and jerk for an overall effort of 194kg, which is lower than her personal best of 88 kg in snatch and 119 kg in clean and jerk. 

Chanu withdrew from the competition after her first clean and jerk attempt due to irritation in her left hip joint to avoid injury.

Despite the disappointing performance, Chanu’s focus is on the Olympic qualifiers, peaking at the Asian Games and the events closer to the Olympics next year. An Asian Games medal is the only one missing from her trophy cabinet.

In 2021, Chanu won a bronze medal and a world record in clean and jerk (119kg) at the Asian Championships. However, this time she only attempted a 109 kg lift in clean and jerk before deciding not to go for her final two attempts. 

China’s Jiang Huihua won the gold medal with a total lift of 207 kg, while Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Hou Zhihui of China finished second with 204 kg. Thailand’s Serodchana Khambao won the bronze medal with a lift of 200kg.

The ongoing championship is one of the qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and weightlifting events will be cut from 14 at the Tokyo Games to 10. 

However, it is an additional event and not a compulsory one. Under the 2024 Olympic qualification rule, a lifter has to compulsorily compete in the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup. 

A weightlifter’s best three performances at the qualifying events will be taken into account for final assessment.

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