India’s ace weightlifter Mirabai Chanu might have missed out on a Paris Olympics medal, but then her aspirations and dreams are far from over. Participating in her pet 49 kg a couple of months back, Chanu had finished fourth, but now is eyeing a maiden medal at the next Asian Games. But did she consider retirement ay any point after the heartbreak?
Mirabai Chanu’s Future?
“After Paris, we both discussed the future and decided that Mirabai must continue in competitive weightlifting,” her coach Vijay Sharma told SAI Media. “I have been working with Mirabai since 2014 and she is a very disciplined athlete. Mirabai finished fourth in Paris and we both feel that there is some more work to do. We are looking at the next Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
“An Asian Games medal is missing from her cabinet and we will give it all to secure that,” Vijay Sharma added. It must be noted that Mirabai had missed out on the Asian Games medal as well, where she had suffered an injury.
Male Weightlifters in India Not Good Enough
Vijay Sharma also made it clear that it is the women lifters who can continue to get Olympic medals in 2028 and 2033, but the men have a fair distance to go. “I have been in weightlifting for 25 years, I can emphatically say that only women can win us Olympic medals in 2028 and 2032. Men have to really work very hard to come up to Olympic expectations.”
