Olympic silver medallist weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, fencer Bhavani Devi and wrestler Divya Kakaran, lived up to their top billing and pocketed gold medals in their respective events in the 36th National Games on Friday.
The women’s 49kg weightlifting competition unfolded on expected lines in the 36th National Games, with a tactical battle between Mirabai Chanu and Sanjita Chanu at the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar on Friday. In the end, Mirabai walked away with the gold with a total lift of 191 kgs (Snatch 84kg, Clean & Jerk 107 kgs) while Sanjita won the silver medal with a total lift of 187 kgs (Snatch 82kg, C&J 105kg). Odisha’s Sneha Soren picked the bronze after totalling 169kg (Snatch 73kg, C&J 96kg).
Mirabai revealed that she was nursing an injury in her left wrist, due to which she didn’t turn up for both her third attempts. “I recently injured my left wrist during training at NIS, Patiala, after which I made sure not to risk it further. The World Championships are coming up 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.
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