Saikhom Mirabai Chanu secured a silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. This performance marks the end of a 28-year medal drought for India in Asian Games weightlifting. The competition took place at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre. According to reports from various media outlets, Chanu recorded a total lift of 198kg. Her final tally consisted of an 87kg snatch and a 111kg clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum claimed the gold medal with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana earned the bronze with 191kg.
Chanu, who at 32 was the oldest lifter in the field, began her snatch sequence with an 83kg lift.
She successfully progressed to 85kg and then 87kg during her attempts. Entering the clean and jerk portion of the event, Chanu opened at 107kg before clearing 111kg on her second attempt. This lift solidified her position and ensured she maintained a gap over Wijayana. Although she trailed the leader, Ri Song Gum, by 17kg overall, the silver medal was secured firmly once her final lift stood. Prior to this success, Chanu experienced varied results at the Asian Games throughout her career. She placed ninth during her 2014 debut in Incheon and missed the 2018 Jakarta Games due to a back injury. Her 2023 campaign in Hangzhou ended in fourth place after a hip injury prevented her from completing a clean and jerk attempt.
This achievement completes Chanu's set of major multi-sport medals, which already includes a Tokyo Olympic silver and three Commonwealth Games gold medals.
She is now the second Indian weightlifter, following Karnam Malleswari, to earn medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships. Before the event, Chanu stated that the Asian Games medal was the only one missing from her collection. Her long-time coach, Vijay Sharma, has guided her through several injury cycles funded by government sports schemes. Chanu competed in Nagoya following a gold medal performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
