Mirabai Chanu wanted to pursue career in archery first, then stepped into weightlifting

Born on 8 August 1994 in Imphal, the capital of Manipur, Mirabai Chanu came into the limelight by winning a silver medal for India in the recently held Tokyo Olympics. She won this silver medal in weightlifting, but very few people would know that 26-year-old Mirabai Chanu was fond of archery in her childhood and earlier she used to dream of making her career in it. But after the 8th standard, she was inclined towards weightlifting and then she decided to move forward in this. In fact, Chanu also started efforts to make a career in weightlifting, considering Imphal's weightlifter Kunjrani as her inspiration. At the age of 11, Chanu won her first gold medal in a local weightlifting competition. Later, she began her international weightlifting career by competing in the World and Asian Junior Championships, where she won medals in both.

Mirabai Chanu has won several medals for the country so far. She won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Mirabai made it to the Rio Olympics by defeating her inspiration weightlifter Kunjarani in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games qualifying match. Mirabai won a gold medal in the 48kg weight class at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships. Chanu also won a gold medal at the Common Wealth Games in 2018. During the Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent in April 2021, Mirabai Chanu set a new world record by lifting 119 kg in the women's 49kg clean and jerk.

It wasn't so easy for Mirabai Chanu to get here. She has struggled a lot to fulfill her dreams, so she has achieved this milestone today. Throughout this journey, Chanu was fully supported by her family. Even after the family's financial condition did not improve, their parents faced every difficulty, fulfilling many other requirements, ranging from Chanu's dietary needs, as a result of which Chanu is constantly raising the name of her family and country. She was awarded The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest civilian sports honor, in 2018. Chanu has also been awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2018.

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