Mirabai Chanu has made her mark on the global map as an Indian weight lifter. In the year 2020, she won the first medal (silver) in the Women’s 49 kg category at Tokyo Olympics. If you search for Mirabai Chanu medal, you will come across abundant information as she has won several of them at various international championships. Her success story in the weight lifting segment has given her immense recognition from the Indian Government. She is ranked as the second weight lifter to receive an Olympic medal after a distant win by Karnam Malleswari, who won a bronze medal (69 kg category) in the 2000 Sydney Games.
Early Life
If you type Mirabai Chanu state, you will learn that she belongs to a small town Nongpok Kakching in Imphal’s East district in Manipur. She was born on 8th August 1994. Interestingly, she won her first gold medal at a meagre age of 11 years in a locally held weightlifting competition. In the field of weight lifting, she has always considered Kunjarani Devi as her idol. From lifting firewood as a toddler, this incredibly talented woman made her way into World Championships as a weightlifter, breaking many records and highlighting her talent as an Indian weightlifter. Her journey began at a very young age. She wanted to pursue archery as she could not meet the height criteria. Fortunately, her talent was recognized by a former international weightlifter, Anita Chanu, after which she trained at a sports academy in her town, Manipur. She would hitch rides from truck drivers and after she won her Olympic medal, she remembered to pay them her share of gratitude by touching their feet.