India's star weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who recently completed a hat-trick of gold medals at the recently-concluded Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow.
Chanu won the gold in 48kg women's event in Glasgow 2026. She had previously won the the gold in 48 kg event in 2018 games as well as in 49 kg in 2022 event as well. Chanu is one of the most prominent face of the Indian weighlifting, having also won an Olympic medal as well. She was felicitated on Monday (Aug 3) for her performance in the CWG 2026 and revealed that challenges she faced to achieve the historic gold.
Chanu reveals challenges behind winning CWG 2026 gold
"I faced many challenges, ranging from physical issues and training hurdles to injuries. I was under immense pressure due to my body weight; competing in the 48kg category is extremely difficult, and managing the weight while training is a huge challenge. But this is a part of our life, and I faced it. Having faced all of that and brought home a gold medal for India feels like a massive accomplishment," she told ANI.
The weightlifter was felicitatd by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for her historic feat and said: "Whether we win a medal or not, the welcome we receive upon returning to India is wonderful; we are honored and treated so well. It feels like a huge achievement for us. I am really happy. I had thought right from the beginning that I wanted to make the best of this opportunity during this CWG, because you do not know what could happen leading up to the next CWG."
What next for Chanu?
The next assignment for the weightlifter is Asian Games and she has vowed to "put in my best effort" for the continental games which are scheduled to be held in Japan in September-October later this year. The target of each athlete then shifts to Olympics which are nealry two years away and are scheduled to be held in the US's city of Los Angeles in 2028.
