Mirabai Chanu - 'CWG will be easy for me; I will be fighting with myself'

Mirabai Chanu made India proud by winning a weightlifting silver during Tokyo Olympics. She wishes to carry the same momentum into the Commonwealth Games 2022.

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As far as Indian athletes are concerned, they have been on a gradual rise. During the Tokyo Olympics last year, India won its record medal haul of seven. One of the medal winners happened to be in the weightlifting category, as Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women's 49 kg category. A year later, riding on the same momentum, she will enter and compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She is being tipped as one of the favourites to win a medal, possibly a gold, at the event. Her personal best in the sport happens to be 207kg (88kg+119kg), far better than her nearest rival, Stella Kingsley of Nigeria, with 168kg (72kg+96kg).

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Speaking on her upcoming CWG stint and chances at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NIS), Chanu said, "CWG will be easy for me. I will be fighting with myself. There is not much competition in CWG, but that doesn't mean there is no competition. I have to give my best performance, keeping in mind the future tournaments."

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"I am thinking of attempting 120kg in the CWG. We have planned to lift 91kg or 92kg at the CWG. Hopefully, it will happen. My back became stiff 2-3 days before going. The journey to Nagrota was also five hours. We went from Patiala to Chandigarh a day before the tournament, then took a flight from Chandigarh, which was also late. So the back became tighter," added Chanu, reports PTI.

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"I haven't gone above 88kg. That is the weight I have set. But, training-wise, I am now better placed than I was at the Olympics. To lift 90kg in a competition, we set the weight between 80-90kg, which we lift consistently daily. It's not like we lift 90kg daily," continued Chanu.

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"I have changed my snatch technique. In the snatch, while rising, the toes, back and shoulder should be in a line. The back and shoulders are critical. They need to move fast. Earlier, my movement was not synchronised. Now, I have changed it. Reaching 96kg will take some time and will be a little difficult for me. 93kg-94kg I can reach. If I perform well in clean and jerk, I can get the same total (as China) or even more," Chanu reckoned.

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Chanu concluded that she is eagerly waiting for the Asian Games this year, which will have more competition. "Asian Games is the only medal left. Now, I want that. On the one hand, it's good that it has been postponed. On the other hand, it will now be held closer to the Olympics. I have got time for training. But now, it will be held alongside other Olympic qualifiers, which means I will have to compete throughout that period," she signed off.