GOLD COAST: That was fast! Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu snared India’s first gold of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast in the Women’s 48kg category, shattering Games Records with every single one of her lifts! As she walked out for her Clean & Jerk lift, Mirabai needed just 84kg to win gold. That her first attempt was 103kg was evidence enough that she was only competing with herself. By the time, she had lifted 110 kg in her third attempt, her total tally had risen to 196 kg — 26 kg ahead of her nearest challenger and a personal best.
Her very first attempt — 80kg in Snatch — was a CWG record, as were her two subsequent lifts of 85kg and 86kg. As the Snatch round drew to a close, Mirabai’s dominance was evident in that her nearest rivals had lifted a whopping 10kg less than her. Her every lift was cheered vociferously by the crowd, who knew that they were witnessing something special.
Mirabai, who became only the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to become World Champion in Anaheim last year, was one of India’s surest bets for a gold. This is her second CWG medal — she had won a silver medal in women’s 48 kg category in 2014 at Glasgow.
Mirabai had erupted on to Indian sporting consciousness in the run-up to the Rio Olympics, when she broke Kunjarani Devi’s 12-year-old national record in the 48kg category. Despite being heavily touted as a medal hope, she was unable to replicate that form in Rio.
Earlier, 25-year-old Karnataka lifter Gururaja became India’s first medallist of the Games, winning silver in the men’s 56kg category. He had a best attempt of 111 kg in the snatch and 138 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 249 kg.
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