Mirabai Chanu shifts scales: Fresh weight class, revamped game plan | More sports News

In the high-stakes world of weightlifting, the place each gram and each raise issues, Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is leaving nothing to likelihood. Ahead of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Ahmedabad, which serves as a qualifier for subsequent yr’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the star lifter from Manipur has undertaken a complete overhaul of her coaching routine. With renewed deal with weight-reduction plan, restoration and workload administration, the 31-year-old is embracing a change prompted by an overhaul in worldwide competitors guidelines. In June, the International Weightlifting Federation revised its weight classes, scrapping the ladies’s 49kg division — a category wherein Mirabai has competed for the previous seven years, and wherein she famously received silver on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She additionally holds the clear and jerk world document in that class, lifting 119kg on the 2021 Asian Championship. Now, Mirabai returns to the ladies’s 48kg class — a division the place she first introduced her arrival on the worldwide stage by profitable silver on the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. In some ways, it’s a homecoming of kinds, however one which calls for important bodily and strategic adaptation. “While it may seem like just a 1kg drop, it takes a serious toll on the body,” her long-time coach, Vijay Sharma, informed TOI. “We had the option to move up to 53kg or come down to 48kg. We chose the latter as it better suits her natural weight.” Sharma and assistant coach-cum-dietician AP Datthan went again to the drafting board two months in the past to utterly rewire Mirabai’s coaching technique, aiming to maximise her efficiency with out risking harm. Rather than pushing her by heavy single-session lifts, her day by day load — totaling round 12 to 14 tonnes — is now unfold evenly all through the day. “This method keeps each workout manageable and gives her body time to recover properly,” stated Sharma. “Recovery is the key. Spreading the workload helps her adapt better, stay fresh and maintain strength,” he elaborated. Dathan has calibrated Mirabai’s weight-reduction plan, growing her protein consumption to help muscle restore and stop muscle loss, whereas decreasing carbohydrates. “High-protein foods like lean meat, eggs, lentils and dairy feature prominently, with complex carbs like whole grains and vegetables,” Dathan stated. Recovery methods lengthen past coaching and diet. Mirabai now undergoes common massages, ice baths and sauna remedy at the very least twice every week to cut back irritation and ease muscle soreness, supported by a devoted feminine masseuse. With her help staff’s unwavering consideration to element, Mirabai is optimistic about her prospects within the new weight class. Following the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Ahmedabad, she is going to gear up for the World Championships in October. While the Commonwealth Games stays very important to her plans, Mirabai is targeted on the 2026 Asian Games in Japan — the one main multi-sport occasion the place she is but to win a medal. Injuries derailed her campaigns at each the 2018 and 2023 editions, making this occasion the elusive purpose.