Paris Olympics: Heartbreak for India as lifter Mirabai Chanu misses medal

Despite holding the bronze medal position after her second-to-last attempt, Chanu was overtaken by Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao when she failed to lift her final attempt of 114 kg in the clean and jerk phase. This was a disappointment, especially since Chanu once held the world record for clean and jerk at 119 kg.

Paris: A day of heartbreaks has just turned worse for Indian fans as top medal hopeful and silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, S. Mirabai Chanu finished fourth in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting final here on Wednesday.

The 2020 Tokyo silver medallist finished with a score of 199 kg after the conclusion of the two phases of the competition. Her personal best is 205 kg which she lifted in the 2020 Asian Championship.

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Despite being in the bronze medal spot after her second last attempt, Chanu was pipped to the post by Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao as the Indian failed to lift her final attempt of 114 kg in the catch and jerk phase, which is a disappointment considering she once held the world record for clean and jerk (119kg).

Romania’s Mihaela Cambei was leading with a score of 205 but China’s Zhihui Hou broke the Olympic record to win the gold medal with a score of 107 in her final attempt of the second phase and ended the night with 206 points.

In the snatch phase, Chanu started with a statement, matching Dominican Republic’s Beatriz Piron with the highest lift of the night as she lifted 85 kg weight without difficulty. The two were tied for the best score of the round until Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao surpassed them with a score of 86 on her first attempt.

Chanu tried to better her best from the Tokyo Olympics (87 kg) and tried to lift 88 kg on her second attempt which she was unable to do. However, was successful in lifting 88kg in her final snatch attempt which was at the time the highest of the night.

Romania’s Mihaela Cambei finished with the best attempt of the snatch phase as she lifted 93 kg with her third attempt.

In clean and jerk, Chanu failed to lift 111 kg and made an unsuccessful last-ditch effort of 114 kg. But that was not enough to help her finish with a medal.

Chanu had previously had a total of 202 kg (87 kg snatch, 115 kg clean and jerk) to claim the coveted podium in the women’s 49 kg category at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Her all-time best lift is 205 which she achieved in the Asian Championship in 2020.