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Mirabai Chanu’s Archery Detour Leads to Asian Games Silver
Mirabai Chanu is an Indian athlete who lifts heavy weights.
She recently won a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games.
This was her first Asian Games medal.
When she was young, she wanted to learn archery instead.
But when she visited a sports centre, there was no archery practice that day.
She then became interested in weightlifting after learning about Kunjarani Devi.
Anita Chanu started training her.
Mirabai improved quickly and went on to win medals in major competitions.
Mirabai Chanu won silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.
The medal ended Chanu’s wait for an Asian Games podium finish after ninth place in 2014, an injury-related absence in 2018, and fourth place in 2023.
Chanu initially wanted to become an archer, but found no archery training during a 2008 visit to an Imphal sports centre.
Inspired by fellow Manipuri weightlifter Kunjarani Devi, Chanu later began training under former international weightlifter Anita Chanu.
She won a junior national title in 2009 and claimed silver in the 48kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
- Who
- Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, along with coaches and fellow athlete Kunjarani Devi who influenced her career.
- What
- Chanu won silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event and secured her first Asian Games medal.
- Where
- The medal was won in Nagoya, Japan; her early sports training began at the Sports Authority of India centre in Khuman Lampak, Imphal.
- When
- At the 2026 Asian Games, on Wednesday; she first visited the sports centre in 2008.
- Why
- She switched from pursuing archery to weightlifting after finding no archery training and becoming inspired by Kunjarani Devi’s achievements.
Key facts
- Asian Games result
- Silver medal in the women’s 49kg category
- Asian Games venue
- Nagoya
- Asian Games debut
- 2014 in Incheon, South Korea
- Previous Asian Games results
- Ninth in 2014, absent in 2018 because of injury, and fourth in 2023
- Initial ambition
- Chanu initially wanted to become an archer
- Weightlifting influence
- Kunjarani Devi’s international achievements encouraged her to take up weightlifting
- First major international breakthrough
- Silver in the women’s 48kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with a 170kg total
Quotes
Mirabai Chanu
Indian weightlifter who won silver at the 2026 Asian Games
“All my brothers and cousins play football, but they would come back home dirty after a day’s play. I wanted to play a sport which is neat and clean. At first, I wanted to be an archer, as they are neat and clean, and stylish.”
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“They just stand and shoot. So, one day, I and my cousin went to the SAI Centre, at Khuman Lampak in Imphal. However, I could not meet any archer, as there was no archery training that day.”
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Sources
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