New Delhi: India's star weightlifter and Olympic medalist Mirabai Chanu is all set for the Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Mirabai, 32, has achieved many major achievements at the world level, including a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021. However, till now she has not been successful in winning a medal in the Asian Games. This time his aim is to fill this gap. Mirabai had recently won the gold medal for the third time in the Commonwealth Games.
Players from China and North Korea will face tough challenge
According to Mirabai, the Asian Games will be completely different and more challenging than the Commonwealth Games, there are many strong players from Asia in her weight category. He said that Olympic-like competition can be seen in the competition to be held in Japan.
“The competition was not difficult for me in the Commonwealth Games,” Mirabai told SAI (Sports Authority of India) media ahead of the Asian Games starting on September 19. I didn't have to work very hard in Glasgow. The real test has to come now.'' She said, ''I want to see how far I can progress in Japan. The Asian Games have been the toughest for me. This time in the Asian Games you might see Olympic-like competition because the strongest lifters in my weight category are from Asia.
Haven't been able to win a medal in the Asian Games yet
Mirabai's best performance in the Asian Games was at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where she finished fourth in the 49 kg category. Earlier, due to injury, she could not participate in the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
In such a situation, this time he is eyeing his first medal of the Asian Games.
Strict preparation under the supervision of coach
Mirabai knows that she will have to perform at her best to win her first medal in the Asian Games. For this she does not want to show any laxity. That's why she is following the routine prescribed by coach Vijay Sharma and America's 'Strength and Conditioning' coach Dr. Aaron Horsching. He said, “We do video calls with him every Thursday and discuss training, recovery and future plans. Everything is reviewed in detail. Dr. Horsching has been a weight lifter himself, so he has knowledge of every muscle in the body. With this I have been successful in maintaining fitness.
Didn't take a break even after winning gold
Mirabai is so desperate to win a medal in the Asian Games that she did not take rest after returning from the Commonwealth Games and went straight to her practice center in Modinagar. “I came straight back to Modinagar to practice,” she said. Actually, I did not go home (Manipur) and I will go home only after winning a medal in the Asian Games.
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