Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu secures silver at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a total lift of 198kg
Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, September 23, 2026: Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu won her maiden Asian Games medal on Wednesday, securing silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
Chanu recorded a combined lift of 198kg, comprising 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. She successfully completed all three of her snatch attempts, lifting 83kg, 85kg and 87kg. In the clean and jerk, she opened with 107kg before successfully lifting 111kg on her second attempt.
North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won the gold medal with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana secured bronze with 191kg.
The silver marked the completion of a major gap in Chanu’s medal collection. She had previously won an Olympic silver medal, World Championship honours and multiple Commonwealth Games medals, but an Asian Games podium finish had remained elusive.
At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, Chanu finished fourth after an injury affected her clean and jerk performance. Her return to the continental event in 2026 finally resulted in a medal.
The achievement also makes Chanu only the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win medals across the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships, besides Asian and Commonwealth Championships.
Chanu’s silver also contributed to India’s medal tally at the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where Indian athletes are competing across several disciplines.
