Paris: S. Mirabai Chanu, the top medal contender and silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, placed fourth in the women’s 49 kg weightlifting final held here on Wednesday, compounding the heartbreaks Indian supporters had already experienced that day.
After the two stages of the tournament, the 2020 Tokyo silver medallist concluded with a score of 199 kg. At the 2020 Asian Championship, she lifted 205 kg, her personal best.
Surodchana Khambao of Thailand defeated Chanu, who had placed third after her second attempt. The Indian was unable to lift her final attempt of 114 kg in the catch-and-jerk phase, which is disappointing because Chanu had previously held the world record for clean-and-jerk (119 kg).
The competition was fierce as Romania’s Mihaela Cambei was leading with a score of 205. However, China’s Zhihui Hou shattered the Olympic record to clinch the gold medal on her final try of the second phase, scoring 107 to finish the night with 206 points.
Chanu made a splash early in the snatch phase as she quickly lifted 85 kg of weight, matching Beatriz Piron of the Dominican Republic for the night’s biggest lift. The two shared the top score of the round until Surodchana Khambao of Thailand beat them both with an 86 on her first try.
Chanu attempted to lift 88 kg on her second try, failing to surpass her personal best of 87 kg at the Tokyo Olympics. Nevertheless, she succeeded in lifting 88 kg in her last effort at a snatch, which at the moment was the highest of the evening.
Mihaela Cambei of Romania finished with the best snatch phase attempt, lifting 93 kg on her third try.
Chanu tried vainly to lift 114 kg in clean and jerk but was unable to raise 111 kg. However, that was insufficient to earn her a medal at the end.
Chanu, a force to be reckoned with, had previously claimed the coveted podium in the women’s 49 kg division at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a total of 202 kg (87 kg snatch, 115 kg clean and jerk). Her all-time best lift of 205 at the Asian Championship in 2020 is a testament to her prowess in the sport.
