Kolkata: Star weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu gave India its first gold medal at Commonwealth Games 2026 after winning the women’s 48kg title in Glasgow on Sunday.
The 31-year-old lifted a Commonwealth Games record 85kg in the snatch before registering a Games record 105kg in the clean and jerk. She finished with a total lift of 190kg to claim the gold medal.
The victory gave Mirabai her third successive Commonwealth Games gold medal, having also won the title in the 2018 Gold Coast Games and the 2022 Birmingham Games.
The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist had earlier won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which was also held in Glasgow.
Mirabai was in control of the competition from start to finish. She finished 22kg ahead of Nigeria’s Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who won the silver medal with a total lift of 168kg.
Her campaign began with a setback as she failed her opening snatch attempt at 82kg. However, she recovered in her next attempts to post the record-breaking 85kg lift.
Having taken an eight-kilogram lead on the clean and jerk as a result of her record-setting snatch, the Manipuri lifter dropped the bar on her first attempt at the clean and jerk, but responded in a champion’s manner by lifting 105kg on her second attempt and thus secured the gold medal well before the competition ended.
The lift not only secured the gold but also shattered the Commonwealth Games record in the clean and jerk category and bettered the total lift mark.
With the title already secured, Mirabai did not attempt her third clean and jerk lift, keeping in mind the Asian Games, which are scheduled to begin in less than two months.
The result was never really in doubt, the only question was how far Mirabai would push the limits. And the Manipuri superstar answered in emphatic style, rewriting the record books with a stunning display of strength and composure.
Despite not eating and drinking for days to maintain weight, the 31-year-old shattered the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Games records in the snatch, while also setting new CWG marks in clean and jerk and total. She lifted a commanding 190kg, with a best effort of 85kg in snatch and 105kg in clean and jerk.
It was an emotional day for the Tokyo silver medallist who broke down again while talking about the support her mom, and coach Vijay Sharma gave. “They have supported me through thick and thin. I was under a lot of pressure from family and friends, so happy to win third gold for India,” she said after the win.
“I was not going to put too much effort in these Games but I failed my first attempt. Coach and I had thought that I would do two lifts each.”
Her dominance was such that Ruth Asuquo Nyong of Nigeria finished a distant second with a total lift of 168kg, a staggering 22kg behind Mirabai’s winning effort.
“Managing my weight is extremely difficult. For any athlete, controlling body weight takes an immense struggle. When I compete in the 48 kg category, It is difficult because I barely have any room to lose more. To make weight this time, I had to stop everything. I couldn’t eat food and haven’t drunk water for three days.
“50.5kg is my natural weight so for 49 kg, a cut 1.5kg, but for 48kg it becomes more which is really tough,” she said.
