Mirabai Chanu Ends 28-Year Wait With Historic Asian Games 2026 Silver
NAGOYA: Mirabai Chanu finally secured an Asian Games medal on Wednesday, winning silver in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and ending India’s 28-year wait for a medal in the sport. Her landmark result was followed by another silver for Naorem Roshibina Devi in women’s 60kg wushu on Thursday.
Chanu lifted a combined 198kg, including 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk. North Korea’s Ri Song-gum won gold with a record-breaking 215kg total, while Indonesia’s Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.
The Mirabai Chanu silver medal Asian Games 2026 result also completes the major medal collection of one of India’s most decorated weightlifters, who already has an Olympic silver, world titles and multiple Commonwealth Games medals.
Mirabai Chanu Silver Ends Long Indian Weightlifting Wait
Chanu’s silver is India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games. The 28-year gap had made weightlifting one of the country’s longest-standing medal droughts at the continental event.
The achievement is particularly significant because Chanu had previously come close to an Asian Games podium. She finished fourth at Hangzhou 2023 after lifting 191kg, missing the medal positions by a narrow margin.
Her performance in Nagoya changed that record. After completing an 87kg snatch, Chanu produced a successful 111kg clean and jerk to secure second place.
The result comes after India entered the competition with high expectations across several sports, following preparations outlined before the Games in the Asian Games 2026 cricket campaign.
Ri Song-gum Sets New Weightlifting Records
Ri dominated the 49kg competition, lifting 94kg in the snatch before producing a 121kg clean and jerk. Her 215kg total broke the previous world record by 7kg.
She also became the first woman to win three Asian Games weightlifting gold medals. Chanu, meanwhile, finished comfortably ahead of Wijayana after the Indonesian failed with her final 107kg clean-and-jerk attempt.
The Asian Games 2026 weightlifting India campaign therefore produced a historic podium finish despite Chanu being unable to challenge Ri for gold.
Roshibina Devi Adds Another Silver For India
The medal celebrations continued on Thursday as Naorem Roshibina Devi won silver in the women’s 60kg sanda event.
Roshibina lost 0-2 to China’s Zhang Xiaoyu in the final but secured her third consecutive Asian Games medal after winning bronze at Jakarta 2018 and silver at Hangzhou 2023. She is now the first Indian woman to win medals at three successive Asian Games.
The Mirabai Chanu silver medal Asian Games 2026 performance and Roshibina’s podium finish have added two significant results to India’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya.
For Indian weightlifting, however, Chanu’s achievement carries a separate historical significance. After 28 years without an Asian Games medal, the Olympic silver medallist has finally put India back on the continental weightlifting podium.
