India opens account in Tokyo as Mirabai Chanu wins Silver in weightlifting

07/24/2021

The Indian contingent in Tokyo opened its medal account on the first day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as Mirabai Chanu won silver in Women's 49kg weightlifting category to script history. Chanu, who bagged the silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, finished behind China’s Hou Zhuhui.

Having sent its largest ever contingent in Olympic history, India was in need of an explosive start on the first day of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. And that’s exactly what unfolded on Saturday as just hours into the first day, Mirabai Chanu gave the country its first medal of Tokyo 2020 by bagging silver in the Women's 49kg weightlifting category. Chanu, who had bagged the silver medal in the 48kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Scotland, lifted 84kg and 87kg successfully in snatch, while she lifted 115 kg in the clean and jerk category.

Her 115 kg, at the time of lifting, was an Olympic record, but it was soon bettered by China’s Hou Zhihui, who created Olympic records in both snatch (94 kg) and clean and jerk (116 kg). With an astounding total of 210, Zhihui bagged gold in the category. Indonesia’s Windy Cantika Aisah, meanwhile, completed the podium in the Women's 49kg weighlifting with a total score of 194 to bag bronze.

Chanu’s heroics means that India has already equalled its silver medal tally at the 2016 Rio Olympics.