Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu won the gold medal in the women's 49kg weightlifting competition at the 36th National Games on Friday with a total lift of 191 kgs.
Mirabai, who won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August, won the championship after lifting 84kg in snatch and 107kg in clean and jerk.
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Mirabai claimed that she was nursing an injury in her left wrist when competing in her second National Games, therefore she did not go for her third try in both parts.
"I recently damaged my left wrist while exercising at NIS Patiala, and I made cautious not to put it in any more danger. The World Championships will be held in December", she said.
"It is a proud moment for me to represent Manipur at the National Games, and the excitement doubled when I was asked to lead the contingent at the Opening Ceremony. It normally gets hectic to attend opening ceremonies as my event starts early the next day, but I felt I must challenge myself this time around," she added.
Chanu, who is hoping for her maiden podium place at the Asian Games next year, wants to stay in the moment and concentrate on the World Championships, where she will face weightlifters from Asian powerhouses.
"Yes an Asian Games medal is missing from the cabinet, and it's something that's on the back of my mind. It will be my first Asian Games after missing out on the 2018 edition with a back injury. The competition level at the Asiad will be great, but for me, the main focus now is the Worlds, where I will get to compete against the same weightlifters," the 28-year-old said.
Sanjita Chanu took silver with a total lift of 187 kgs (Snatch 82kg, C&J 105kg), while Odisha's Sneha Soren took bronze with a total lift of 169 kgs (Snatch 73kg, C&J 96kg) at the Mahatma Mandir here.
"This is a great occasion for me. However, congrats to Mirabai. She deserves all of the praise and acclaim for her outstanding performance", Sanjita said in a press statement.
