‘If the Chinese and Koreans can do it, why can’t we?’ – Mirabai Chanu: A silver worth the ‘pain’ | More sports News

NEW DELHI: A wrist injury at this year’s National Games made it difficult for Mirbai Chanu to even hold a barbell. with World Championship just two months later, the Tokyo Olympics The silver medalist has no choice but to manage the injury. And Chanu did it well. The second world championship medal, the silver in the 49kg category, was worth all the ‘pain’.
A lift of 87kg in the Snatch event and 113kg in the jerk is enough to put Chanu in second place on the podium with a total of 200kg. But that’s where she and her coach are Vijay Sharma put a full stop to add more iron plates. They don’t want to risk hurting their wrists more when there’s still a year and a half left in Paris 2024 Olympic qualifying cycle for weightlifting, beginning August 1, 2022.

But the world record holder in the recoil and jerk (119kg) had to mobilize every ounce of his strength and grit in Bogota, Colombia.
She failed in her attempt to lift 87kg before successfully applying to lift with considerable difficulty. Chanu often refers to the goal of reaching 90kg in the loop, but this time it is about standing on the podium while injured. For that, 87kg should be enough.
Her wide grip when jerking is where she still finds it difficult. Getting the bar overhead in a squat is where Chanu’s weak wrist muscles are most vulnerable right now.

Her first 111kg lift in the jerk and jerk also ran a red light, before she successfully did it on her second attempt, and then gained another two kilos at 113kg, helping her out. he won the silver medal — after the athlete of China Giang Hue Hoa‘s lifted a total of 206kg (93kg, 113kg) for the gold medal. Huihua’s compatriot and defending 49kg Olympic champion Hou Zhihui won bronze with a total weight of 198kg (89kg, 109kg).
Beating a Chinese and winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics is something Chanu has always dreamed of. When she won gold (48kg) at the 2017 World Championships, China did not participate in the competition held in California. She finished fourth in 2019 and skipped the World Championships in 2021.

When TimesofIndia.com contacted Chanu, she was a bit unwell, had a bad cold and stomach ache after the competition. But she was gracious enough to come right back after a break and sit down to chat.
Excerpt…
Second international medal in 2022 after the Commonwealth Games gold medal and also the second World Championship medal. But you seem a little under the weather…
Yes, I have a cold and a stomachache. But this morning a little better after resting.
Is the life of an athlete difficult?
(Laugh). Right. Training mei bhi focus karna aur baaki sab…Kar rahi hu, sabko khush rakhna hai (must focus on training and manage everything else. Try to do that; I have to keep everyone happy). That is our life.
Your wrist has made as much news as your medal. But a remarkable achievement when injured and still standing on the podium to receive the award…
Thank you. This injury was discovered when I had an MRI after the National Games. Due to overtraining and overexertion, muscle injury occurs. I think they (doctors) call it a cyst in their language, something bloody. However, the pain is not constant. It comes and goes. It turns off and on. It’s okay in the middle, but when I practice in the US, I feel pain again.
How do you manage it in such a competitive field at the World Championships?
Especially in robbery, it (wrist) is very important. I was wearing a wristband, which I had never done before, but had to wear it so that I didn’t feel much pain because I would have a hard time if the wound got worse. So I supported my muscles with the band. In addition, my physiotherapist prescribed some exercises. The small muscles of the wrist are feeling the load. So I’m following all the exercises for that. It helped me.
You finished ahead of the Olympic champion but lost only two kilograms to the gold medalist. Was it a strategic move to not aggravate your injury by adding extra weight?
Yes, in jerky, we decided to lift only a certain amount of weight because of a wrist injury, up to 88kg. In clean & Jerk, I thought I would lift a higher weight, but on the first try, they (the judges) ruled not to lift.
Of course, you took care of your wrist…
I couldn’t let my wrist hurt any more because there were important competitions coming up, such as the Asian Championships and the Asian Games. Now I focus on that after recovering from this injury.
So we can say gold slips out of your hands because of injury…
(Laughs) Yes.
But in the end you still beat a Chinese athlete. That must be very satisfying…
If they (China and Korea) can do it, why can’t we? So I’ve always thought that beating the Chinese was the dream of Indian weightlifters and mine. It was a war between China, Korea and me. So I’m always ready to compete with them.
You are 28 years old now. The Paris Olympics are definitely on your list, but is your body somewhere telling you to slow down, manage your workload?
By overtraining, one thing or another will happen. It’s not unique to weightlifters, it can happen to any player (in any sport), little things become weak somewhere. Sometimes I have problems with my back, sometimes with my wrists. He (trainer Vijay Sharma) also advised me that now, in the long run, I will have to do what I didn’t do before… like what muscles to work on in the wrists, back, shoulders. If I do it regularly, I will be able to maintain my body and avoid injury. I started with that before and after training.
What’s next on your list of goals?
The first focus is on recovery from this (wrist) injury… For me, the Asian Games are important because India doesn’t have a gold medal in weightlifting at the Asian Games.