Olympic silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu on Monday won the BBC's Best Indian Woman Player of the Year award. Chanu had won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year and became the first Indian weightlifter to do so.
She has said that I am engaged in practising in this world of America. I will be doing my best in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games this year. Thank you to the BBC for this award. India's young cricketer Shafali Verma has been awarded the 'Best Emerging Player' award. Weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, who won a medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, has also been given the 'Lifetime Achievement Award.' The Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics players have also been honoured on the occasion.
Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is all set to give up the 49kg weight class that won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics to put another gold medal in the country's bag at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games some time ago. Mirabai is gearing up to win gold in the new weight class 55 kg at the Commonwealth Games to be held in August this year. Mira will be seen playing in the 'Singapore International,' the qualifying event of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Singapore from February 25 to 27 to get a ticket to Birmingham in the 55kg category.
The team management feels that even if Meera will play in 55 kg, then there too she is going to win gold easily. In such a situation, Meera has also had to bear the loss of one ball by dropping in 49 kg. Keeping this in mind, the last qualifying event of the Commonwealth Games is going to be dropped in Singapore International for 49 kg and Mira in 55 kg.
Here it is mandatory for both of them to do well in these weight classes and qualify for Birmingham. According to Sahdev Kaze, Mira's weight change can lead to talk about three gold medals instead of one. Bindiya Rani, who recently won a snatch bronze at the World Championships in 55kg, is also going to play. She can now be sent to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Singapore, down to 59 kg. If this experiment is successful, the country is going to get a big benefit from the Commonwealth Games. For Mira, the Asian Games are going to be a different strategy. Singapore International is also scheduled to send seven male and nine female lifters.
Game between Arjun and Gukesh drawn in Delhi International Chess
