Mirabai Chanu, Olympic medallist, elected chairperson of Indian Weightlifting Federation’s Athletes Commission

Tokyo Olympic Games silver medallist Mirabai Chanu was on Tuesday elected as the chairperson of the Indian Weightlifting Federation's Athletes Commission. Chanu, who won the silver medal in the 49kg category, defined the development as an opportunity to uphold the voice of fellow weightlifters. 

"I express my immense gratitude to the Indian Weightlifting Federation for electing me as the Chairperson of the Athletes Commission of the federation. The opportunity to represent and uphold the voice of fellow weightlifters is a matter of great pride for me," Mirabai, the Tokyo medallist, said in a release.

"I pledge to take the responsibilities that come with the role seriously. I will work towards spreading the athletes' voice and viewpoints across all key channels to ensure we can continue to focus on the sport without being distracted by external factors," she added.

Mirabai is only the second Indian



weightlifter to win a medal at the Olympic Games. The Manipur-born won the silver medal at the Tokyo Games in the 49kg category after lifting a total of 210 kg. She was in line to clinch another medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, however, she missed out on a medal this time around. The 31-year-old weightlifter had attributed her missed shot at the medal to the weakness during the menstrual cycle during the event.

Mirabai is a two-time Commonwealth Games gold-medallist, having won the yellow metal at the 2018 and the 2022 Games. She is also the former World Champion, having won the gold medal at the World Championships in 2017 and then a silver in 2022. Mirabai has won three golds and a silver in the Commonwealth Championships. The only medal missing from her trophy cabinet is an Asian Games medal. 

She dreamt of winning one in the 2023 Asian Games, however, she suffered a hip injury during her event and finished fourth at the Asiad.