Mirabai Chanu Wins Asian Games Silver in 49kg

Indian weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu finally completed her Asian Games medal collection, winning the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist registered a combined lift of 198kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk, to secure India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari’s silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games.

Chanu began the snatch round with 83kg, followed by successful lifts of 85kg and 87kg. She entered the second half of the competition in third place before producing her decisive 111kg clean and jerk to move into the silver-medal position.

North Korea’s Ri Song Gum claimed the gold medal with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana won bronze with 191kg. Ri's performance included 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk.

The achievement is particularly significant after Chanu’s previous Asian Games experiences. She finished ninth at the 2014 Games, missed the 2018 edition because of injury and finished fourth at Hangzhou 2023. Her silver in Aichi-Nagoya finally puts an Asian Games medal alongside her collection of major international honours.

India’s return to the Asian Games weightlifting podium also comes 28 years after Malleswari’s silver in Bangkok in 1998, according to records from the Indian Olympic Association.