Mirabai Chanu misses medal in Women’s 49kg Weightlifting at Paris Olympics

New Delhi, Aug 8: India’s Paris 2024 Olympics campaign faced another setback as Mirabai Chanu finished fourth in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the South Paris Arena on Wednesday.

Competing in her third Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 silver medallist lifted a total of 199kg (88kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk), narrowly missing a podium finish in a closely contested event.

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Hou Zhihui of the People’s Republic of China successfully defended her title, lifting an overall weight of 206kg (89kg snatch + 117kg clean and jerk). Hou also set a new Olympic record in the clean and jerk with her 117kg lift, surpassing her previous record of 116kg set at Tokyo 2020. Hou Zhihui continues to hold the overall Olympic record at 210kg and the snatch Olympic record with 94kg.

Romania’s Mihaela Cambei, the reigning European champion, lifted a total of 205kg (93kg snatch + 112kg clean and jerk) to secure the silver medal, while Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao claimed bronze with a lift of 200kg (88kg snatch + 112kg clean and jerk).

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Mirabai Chanu’s performance saw her begin the snatch round with an 85kg lift. Her second attempt at 88kg was unsuccessful, but she matched her personal best and national record of 88kg on her final attempt. Surodchana Khambao matched Mirabai’s 88kg effort in the snatch, ranking them joint-third at the end of the round. Mihaela Cambei led the snatch round with a lift of 93kg.

In the clean and jerk round, Mirabai faced challenges from the start, failing her first attempt at 111kg. She successfully lifted the same weight on her second attempt, climbing to second place alongside Hou Zhihui. However, Cambei’s personal best of 112kg and Khambao’s matching 112kg lift pushed Mirabai out of the medal contention. Mirabai’s attempt at 114kg on her final lift was unsuccessful, leaving her total at 199kg.

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This fourth-place finish continues India’s string of narrow misses at Paris 2024, marking the sixth instance of just missing the podium in events such as archery, badminton, and shooting.

Mirabai Chanu was India’s sole weightlifting representative at the Paris 2024 Olympics, and her performance, while commendable, adds to the heartbreak of near-misses for the Indian contingent at these Games.