Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will return to aggressive action on Monday (August 25, 2025) after a year-long hiatus, main the house problem on the Commonwealth Championships the place Indian weightlifters are anticipated to bag a rich medal haul.
Chanu, who has battled accidents in recent times, was final seen on the Paris Games in final August, the place she missed the rostrum by a kilogram.
With the brand new Olympic weight classes in drive for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, the 31-year-old has determined to transfer down from the 49kg division to 48kg, a weight class by which she gained her world championship title and two Commonwealth Games medals, however hasn’t competed in it since 2018.
Managing the burden will probably be a problem, and Chanu herself has admitted it. But the tenacious Manipuri, who has collected nearly each accolade the game has to provide, has embraced it.
Working intently with chief nationwide coach Vijay Sharma, she has additionally been fine-tuning her approach in pursuit of the elusive 90kg snatch.
However, as she works in the direction of peaking in October’s World Championships, Chanu won’t be going full tilt on the Commonwealth Championships, which is among the qualifying tournaments for subsequent 12 months’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“I’m not putting all my effort into Ahmedabad because I’m preparing for the World Championships. My biggest target is the Asian Games, where I aim to break world records and win a medal, as I have none there yet,” she mentioned on Saturday.
While Chanu stays the star attraction, India’s contingent is predicted to end on the rostrum in nearly each weight class. Commonwealth occasions — Commonwealth Games and the Commonwealth Championships — have lengthy been a contented searching floor for Indian lifters, who profit from the absence of heavyweights like China and North Korea.
When India final hosted the Championships in 2023, the house group signed off with a rich haul of 20 medals.
This time too, a number of CWG medallists, together with silver-winner Bindiyarani Devi and bronze medallists Harjinder Kaur and Lovepreet Singh, will look to add to India’s tally.
Indian Team:
Women: Mirabai Chanu (48kg), Sneha Soren (53kg), Bindyarani Devi (58kg), Seram Nirupama Devi (63kg), Harjinder Kaur (69kg), Harmanpreet Kaur (77kg), Vanshita Verma (86kg:), Mehak Sharma (+86kg)
Men: Chanambam Rishikanta Singh (60kg); M Raja (65kg); Narayana Ajith (71kg), Valluri Ajaya Babu (79kg), Ajay Singh(88kg), Dilbag Singh (94kg), Harcharan Singh (110kg), Lovepreet Singh (+110kg).
