From breaking stereotypes to breaking records–Indian women are doing it all. Whether it is Mithali Raj who became the first woman to have the longest career in International Cricket or Ankita Raina who bagged singles and doubles titles at ITF, there ain’t no stopping our women. The latest two adding to the list of #GirlPower are weightlifting champs Mirabai Chanu and Rakhi Halder.
The 25-year old Mirabai has won the ongoing senior National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata. She lifted a total of 203kg to win the 49kg gold, bettering her previous record of 201kg at the World Championships (2019) in Thailand. Here’s the break-up: Mirabai lifted 88kgs in snatch and 115 kg in clean and jerk, as a result of which she now holds the fourth place in the world rankings. The three women ahead of her are China’s Jiang Huihua (212kg) and Hou Zhihui (211kg), and Korea’s Ri Song Gum (209kg).
Her victory was so pronounced yesterday that Sanjita Chanu, the one who finished second, was a good 8 kg behind her in the aggregate. Bronze-winning T Priyadarshini from Telangana, on the other hand, was able to manage just 168 kg.
While this is a great feat, what lies next for her is the Olympic Gold event Asian Championships. Yes, you read that right. The weight-lifter is constantly making India proud with her record-breaking performance in the Nationals and this is only a milestone that serves as a testing ground for her and other leading weightlifters. The prestigious and all-important Olympic gold event is scheduled to be held in April in the city of Nur-Sultan in Kazakhstan.
During her interacting with the media, Mirabai shared how she deals with pressure. “Pressure is always there when the entire country is expecting a medal. But I am happy that I have the chance to do something for India so I will put my best foot forward.
On the other hand, experienced lifter Rakhi Halder has also proven her mettle. She clinched gold in the 64kg category at the National Weightlifting Championships today. She was ranked 19th in the Olympic qualifiers list. Here’s the breakup: Rakhi lifted 93 kg in snatch, 117 kg in clean and jerk to script her way to gold medal win.
ANI
Wishing these two all the very best for future championships.
