NEW DELHI: For 28 years, Indian weightlifting waited for this moment. There were new lifters, big names, and fresh hopes of returning to the Asian Games podium. But the medal remained out of reach.On Wednesday, Mirabai Chanu finally ended the wait.With India’s hopes resting on her shoulders, the Tokyo Olympic silver medallist lifted 198kg to win silver in the women’s 49kg event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.It was India’s first Asian Games weightlifting medal since Karnam Malleswari won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games.
The wait of 28 years
India’s last Asian Games weightlifting medal came in 1998, when Malleswari won silver in Bangkok. India did not win a weightlifting medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan. The 2006 Asian Games in Doha brought another setback. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) suspended the Indian Weightlifting Federation following multiple positive doping tests. India did not take part in the weightlifting events after the government failed to pay a USD 50,000 fine to the IWF to lift the suspension.At the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, India sent 12 weightlifters but returned without a medal.Four years later in Incheon, India fielded seven weightlifters. The team included names such as Sathish Sivalingam, Khumukcham Sanjita Chanu, Mirabai and Punam Yadav. But once again, Indian weightlifters returned empty-handed.The 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang also ended without an Indian weightlifting medal. India fielded four lifters, with Sathish Sivalingam among the senior names and medal contenders.Then came the 2022 Asian Games, which were held in Hangzhou in 2023.There was fresh hope as Mirabai was one of India’s leading medal contenders. India sent only two female weightlifters – Mirabai and Bindyarani Devi. Both came close, but India’s wait continued. Mirabai narrowly missed a medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. She finished fourth after an injury prevented her from completing her final clean and jerk attempt.
Nagoya brought another chance
When the Asian Games arrived in 2026, Mirabai once again carried India’s hopes. She entered the competition with confidence after winning her third straight Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow earlier this year. But the Asian Games presented a stronger challenge, with North Korea’s defending champion and world champion Ri Song Gum leading the field.This time, Mirabai made the opportunity count. Mirabai finished with a total of 198kg in Nagoya. She lifted 87kg in the snatch before producing a best lift of 111kg in the clean and jerk. That was enough for silver and ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal.Ri Song Gum won gold with a record-breaking total of 215kg. She lifted 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk. Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana won bronze with a total of 191kg.For Mirabai, the silver was more than just another medal. She had won an Olympic silver, World Championship medals and multiple Commonwealth Games titles. But an Asian Games medal had remained missing from her collection.And after 28 years, Indian weightlifting was back among the medals.