S.Kannan in Paris
Mirabai Chanu was touted as a strong medal prospect by one and all. No, the diminutive weightlifter herself never said it, but the key men surrounding her — coach Vijay Sharma and President of the Indian Weightlifting Federation, Sahdev Yadav — made such claims. At the competition arena of the Paris 2024 Olympics on Wednesday evening, spread over two hours, Mirabai hardly looked competitive and managed just an aggregate of 199kg in the 49kg section to finish fourth.
One more fourth-place finish is not the story really, from an Indian in Paris. This effort, or the lack of it, from Mirabai, was an indicator she may have prepared well in training but not competing in tournaments made her look jaded. Mind you, this field was minus some of the best as the North Koreans were not allowed to compete in Paris as they had not been part of mandatory dope tests under WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) regulations. “Boss, Mira ka medal to aana hee hai,” time and again, Sahdev had told this writer. What he said was as if a medal was a certainty. Yet, watching the lady struggle was sad viewing. Today is her birthday and she turns 30. Surely, she will spend the day wondering if she did her best in Paris.
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On an evening when China’s Hou Zhihiu was in smashing form with a world record to boot in the clean and jerk, in the last part of the competition after the snatch, she produced 117 kg with clean and jerk. In contrast, Mirabai failed with a 114kg attempt in clean and jerk. Watching the ‘lifters’ go through the motions, Mirabai had to watch out for Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao. The difference between a bronze medal and how Mirbai missed it was the Thai girl being ready to go full throttle.
Forget the weights being loaded on the barbell, Mirabai’s body language was poor. In an arena where she was watched by Karnam Malleswari, Olympic bronze medallist from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, there should have been enough motivation for Mirabai. No, there was no strong push from Mira, the silver medal winner at the Tokyo Olympics. “I strongly felt Mirabai had a chance, just that the strategy adopted was not the best,” Mallesewari told this writer in measured words. What she hinted at was the “weight loading”, something done by the coach, especially in clean and jerk, lacked a proper strategy.
Just to jog the readers’ memory, coach Vijay had said in many interviews, that Mirabai was in good shape and anything above 202 kg from her was a surety. These words keep ringing in the ear, as the effort of 199kg was poor in comparison.
Rewind the career and what Mirabai has achieved in her Olympic journey. She wept after a flop show at the Rio Olympics in 2016. When she returned to India, she did not go to her house in Manipur but was back in training. For Tokyo, she prepared hard, despite the Covid and won a silver medal. Throughout 2023, Mirabai had battled injuries and fitness issues. She had collapsed on the stage during the Asian Games in Hangzhou, clutching at her thigh. Again, she was out for a few months. Her frequent trips to the USA, where she trains under Aaron Horschig, an excellent strength and conditioning expert made all believe Mirabai would be in the best shape. If she had been in good shape, her efforts on the “platform” on Wednesday would have been better. The lack of going for more load on the barbell caught the eye.
All that Sahdev and Vijay said to the media seemed like fiction. No point slamming Mirabai, she is an Olympic champion from Tokyo. The fact is, to not compete in major meets and just train in camps will not prepare you for an Olympics. If seeing is believing, Mirabai was way below her best in Paris 2024. A fourth place, yes, but this was supposed to be a sure medal for her. At least, that is what her think-tank made Indians believe!
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