India are all set to take part in the Commonwealth Games, with a total of 216 athletes representing India at the Marquee event in Birmingham, with the CWG kicking off on July 28. One of India's medal contenders at the Games will be weightlifter Mirabai Chanu in the 55 kg category and she will participate in the clean-and-jerk and snatch events.
In an exclusive interview with Sports Tak, the Tokyo Olympics Silver medallist revealed that ahead of the CWG, she had been working on the weaker aspects of her game, especially the snatch, "It should be easy for me in the Commonwealth Games. My snatch has been weak for quite some time, even before the Olympics. Because one of my shoulders is weak, there is a difference in my receiving. This is why I am working on my snatch right now.
See the full exclusive interview here:
Mirabai was among the best performers for India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The weightlifter won the silver medal in the 49 kg division with a total lift of 202 KGs, becoming the first Indian weightlifter to win a silver at the Olympics, and the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win an Olympic medal. The 27-year-old is also the second Indian woman after PV Sindhu to win an Olympic silver. A new Olympic record was registered by Chanu with a successful lift of 115 kg in clean and jerk.
But now, her aim is to better these statistics and at least try to go for gold at the CWG, "This time in the Commonwealth Games, my aim is to do even better (than in the Olympics). Let's see how much I can improve by the finals. I keep thinking about myself. I will only think about my competitors on the day of the event. For now, I will fight with myself.
"Ever since I returned to India after the Olympics, I have mostly focused on the training. After winning a silver at the Olympics, I felt that I can go even further. Even after winning the medal, we concentrated on the training. I used to train, and plan for the future. After the Olympics, everyone respects me. They recognize me and respect me now. I have made new friends also," she added.
