It was early morning in Paris, or rather a little distance away from the city, and Mirabai Chanu and her coach Vijay Sharma had just finished the morning warm-up. They reached Paris on July 7, 2024 and used the week to get acclimatised to the weather and the conditions.
The coach was extremely confident of his ward’s chances. At the same time, he wasn’t one bit complacent. Things did not fall into place in Paris, and Mira was subjected to a lot of trolling. And yet, she did not give up. At 31, to go back to the highest level of competition and win a silver in the 48kg category, while managing her weight, is a simply incredible achievement from India’s best-ever weightlifter.
For Mira, it hasn’t been easy. And yet, she has never given up. Even when she was advised complete rest in October in the immediate aftermath of the Asian Games in 2023, she did not lose hope. She did not train for close to three months, and such an injury induced lay-off can impact the mental health of any athlete – especially with the Olympics just months away. Mira, however, stayed resilient and strong. She was patient and followed the doctor’s orders to get the rehab done properly.
“She has worked the hardest,” said Sharma after the world championship silver. “She knows she is ready. Managing weight was the key and we will get her back to her best. The Asian Games medal is the goal and we will make sure, come September 2026, it will be her day and she will have the medal around her neck.”
Mira, one of India’s greatest athletes, has had a tough last 20 months. With the home situation in Manipur extremely worrying in 2023, she was seen appealing on social media for things to get better. When she was training in the US in August 2023, she had pain in her thigh. With Ultrasound treatment and more, she managed the pain, and between the coach and her, it was decided to go ahead with the Asian Games, which meant a lot to her from the start. “She was determined to participate and do well for India,” said Sharma. “And with Mira, it is always about mental strength. And in the lead-up, she was looking good, which made me hopeful.”
However, when she was warming up on competition day in China, she felt pain. It was the end of her campaign and questions were asked. Could she make a comeback and be the same force again?
The truth is Mira tried hard. That’s what sport is all about. Despite the pain, she pushed her body and tried to get into the medal bracket. It wasn’t to be. Against physical adversity, she could only do so much and no more. This is what it is about. Pain and challenges. Effort. But then, that’s what we want to see. She is back to her best again and that was proved on Thursday night with the lift of 115 kgs in the Clean and Jerk.
All of us will be waiting for the Asian Games 2026. And we know with Mira, she will too, and won’t rest easy till she sets the record straight.
For more updates, follow RevSportz