Tokyo Olympics: Mirabai Chanu, Indian lone ranger in weightlifting, eyes glory on the Games

Like fairly a couple of star Indian athletes, Mirabai Chanu can be in search of redemption on the Tokyo Olympics. 5 years in the past, Mirabai had headed to her maiden Olympic Games at Rio as one of many huge Indian hopes however she suffered a poor outing.

Mirabai Chanu didn’t document any authorized raise in three makes an attempt in clear and jerk and slipped out of rivalry within the girls’s 48kg class. It was a giant shock for the Manipur weightlifter who noticed the lows of her life at one of many largest phases of the game.Tokyo Olympics: Full Coverage | India @ Olympics full scheduleAhead of the Tokyo Games, Mirabai shall be India’s lone weightlifter on the Tokyo Games and she or he shall be hoping to make amends for the poor present in Rio 5 years in the past. She shall be bidding to change into the primary weightlifter since Karnam Malleswari in 2000 to win an Olympic medal.Chanu’s comeback from the dismal present on the Rio Games 5 years in the past has been a exceptional one, to say the least.Not solely did she silence her detractors by profitable the gold on the planet championship in 2017 and the Commonwealth Games a yr later, she additionally overcame an unspecified again downside, which marred her progress in 2018, and adjusted her weight class to 49kg from her unique 48 kg after the worldwide federation determined to introduce new classes within the sport within the run-up to the Tokyo Games.What had led to her downfall within the Rio Games — the clear and jerk — has now change into Chanu’s power. The 26-year-old has persistently improved within the part to remain in rivalry for medals at prime occasions.In reality, Chanu at present holds the world document in clear and jerk within the girls’s 49kg class. She efficiently heaved 119kg within the Asian Championship, her final match forward of the Tokyo Games, in April to win the gold medal within the part and an general bronze.The efficiency is sure to spice up her confidence when she heads into the weightlifting enviornment on July 24.Can Chanu recover from her Snatch issues?While Chanu’s superior show in clear and jerk has helped her keep at par together with her opponents in latest tournaments, her efficiency within the snatch occasion has usually proved to be her Achilles heel.The 26-year-old has, self-admittedly, struggled whereas lifting weights within the snatch on account of her shoulder damage.At the latest Asian Championships, Chanu didn’t hoist 85kg in her first two snatch makes an attempt and was at risk of getting knocked out of the competitors earlier than she efficiently heaved 86kg in her closing try.However, the hassle was a whopping 10kg lower than Chinese lifter Hou Zhihui’s world document raise of 96kg on the identical competitors. Chanu’s private finest in snatch is 88kg, which she lifted on the nationwide championship in February final yr.Chanu is conscious of her weak spot and has been engaged on it with Dr. Aaron Horschig, a former weightlifter turned bodily therapist and power and conditioning coach.She has reached Tokyo after present process a 50-day coaching stint in St Louis, USA.