Mirabai Chanu wins silver in women’s 49kg to end India’s Asian Games weightlifting wait

With India's hopes resting on her shoulders, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu lifted 198kg to win silver in the women's 49kg event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya. It was India's first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games.

What Mirabai Chanu achieved in Nagoya at the Asian Games 2026 with a silver medal in the women's 49kg weightlifting event was not just another medal, but the end of a 28-year wait

Chanu's silver also ended India's 28-year wait for a medal in weightlifting at the Asian Games.

Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu finally completed her medal collection, winning the elusive Asian Games silver in the women's 49kg event here on Wednesday.

India's star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu clinched silver in the women's 49kg category at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, finally completing her medal collection with the one major title that had eluded her.The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist lifted a total of 198kg, managing 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk, to claim India's first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won bronze in 1998.Also read: Asian Games: Jay Meena wins India's maiden soft tennis medal with men's singles bronzeNorth Korea's Ri Song Gum lived up to expectations, lifting a total of 215kg (94kg+121kg) to win gold and complete a hat-trick of Asian Games titles.Mirabai opened with 83kg in the snatch before successfully clearing 85kg and 87kg with her next two attempts, finishing the first half of the competition in third place. She then produced a best lift of 111kg in the clean and jerk to finally put an Asian Games medal to her name.The medal comes three years after Mirabai narrowly missed the podium at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she finished fourth. She suffered an injury during the competition and failed in both her final clean and jerk attempts at 117kg, which she needed to win a medal.The Asian Games silver adds to Mirabai's Olympic silver, three World Championship medals including a gold, multiple Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Championships titles and an Asian Championships bronze.(With PTI inputs)

India’s Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Asian Games 2026, finally adding an Asian Games medal to her decorated career.Chanu entered the competition with a major milestone in sight, having previously missed out on the podium at the Asian Games. She finished ninth at the 2014 edition, missed the 2018 Games due to injury and came fourth in the 49kg category at Hangzhou 2023.Mirabai successfully lifted 111kg pic.twitter.com/oSqjAfMAYz— The Khel India (@TheKhelIndia) September 23, 2026 The Olympic silver medallist arrived in Aichi-Nagoya after winning her third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow. Her Asian Games campaign gave her an opportunity to complete her medal collection across the major multi-sport competitions.Chanu’s silver also ends India’s long wait for a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games. The country’s previous medal in the sport came through Karnam Malleswari, who won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games.For Chanu, the silver marks another significant achievement in an illustrious career that already includes an Olympic silver medal, a world title and multiple Commonwealth Games gold medals. She can now add an Asian Games silver to that collection.