Mirabai Chanu Wins Asian Games 2026 Silver in 49kg

Mirabai Chanu won silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Asian Games 2026, lifting a combined 198kg in Nagoya to secure the medal that had long eluded her.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist posted 88kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk, delivering India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won bronze in 1998. Chanu’s result also completed a medal collection that already includes Olympic, World Championship, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships honours.

“Winning an Asian Games medal is a dream come true. I have been chasing this medal for the last 12 years, since the 2014 Asian Games. My life is complete now with this medal. And I am feeling very light. It’s a dream Asian Games,” Chanu said after the competition.

Chanu builds 198kg total for silver

Chanu began her snatch campaign at 83kg before successfully lifting 85kg and 87kg. Her three successful attempts left her in third place after the first half of the competition.

In the clean and jerk, she opened with 107kg and then lifted 111kg. With the silver medal assured, Chanu did not take her final attempt. Her 198kg total put her ahead of Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana, who claimed bronze with 191kg after recording 88kg in snatch and 103kg in clean and jerk.

North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won gold with 215kg, made up of 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk. The two-time world champion completed a third Asian Games title and broke world records in the snatch, clean and jerk and total during her winning performance.

For Chanu, the silver represented a breakthrough after previous Asian Games disappointments. She finished ninth on her Asian Games debut in 2014, missed the 2018 edition because of a back injury and finished fourth at the Hangzhou Games in 2023 after suffering a hip injury on the platform.

A long-awaited Asian Games breakthrough

The Nagoya result ended that sequence of near-misses. Chanu stepped onto the platform wearing gold earrings shaped like Olympic rings, gifted by her mother, along with a tri-coloured ribbon in her hair. This time, she converted her opportunity into a place on the podium.

“I have dreamed of winning an Asian Games medal since I stepped into weightlifting. Something or the other happened before or during the Asian Games, but this time I have fulfilled my dream,” Chanu said.

The medal follows a busy period for Chanu, who returned to training the day after winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month with the Asian Games in Nagoya firmly in focus. She said she would take time to enjoy the silver before deciding how to approach the path toward LA 28, with the qualification process beginning in December.

“I am yet to decide on how to go about LA 28. The qualification process starts in December. I will enjoy this medal for a while and will decide,” she said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Chanu, praising her determination and consistency after the women’s 49kg competition. For the Indian lifter, the Asian Games silver brought a long-awaited addition to an already decorated career.