India's weightlifting star Mirabai Chanu finished fourth in the Women's 49kg category at the Paris Olympics. She lifted a total of 199kg, falling short of the podium places secured by China, Romania, and Thailand. Mirabai Chanu failed to become only the third Indian athlete to win multiple individual Olympic medals. She joins the prestigious list alongside Sushil Kumar and PV Sindhu.
Mirabai Chanu fails to bring medal, finishes fourth in Women's 49kg weightlifting
Mirabai Chanu successfully lifted 85kg in her opening snatch attempt and eventually managed to lift 88kg. In the clean and jerk, she successfully lifted 111kg in her first two attempts but was unable to lift 114kg in her final attempt.
Hou Zhihui Claims Gold with World Record
China's Hou Zhihui successfully defended her Olympic title, lifting a total of 207kg, including a new world record of 117kg in the clean and jerk. Romania's Mihaela Valentina Cambei held the lead until the final lifts but eventually settled for the silver medal with a total of 205kg. Thailand's Khambai Surodchana secured the bronze medal, lifting 200kg, one kilogram more than India's Mirabai Chanu.
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Mirabai Chanu began the competition strongly with a successful 85kg lift in her first snatch attempt, taking the early lead. However, a failed attempt at 88kg allowed Thailand's Surodchana Khambao to surpass her. Despite a successful lift of 88kg in her final attempt, Mirabai found herself in joint third place after the snatch round. In the clean and jerk, Chanu started with a challenging 111kg lift, which she failed. She successfully lifted the same weight in her second attempt, placing her temporarily in second position. However, Khambao and the eventual gold medalist, Hou Zhihui, with a world record-breaking clean and jerk of 117kg, surpassed Mirabai's total, relegating her to fourth place.
Mirabai Chanu Battles Injury and Pressure
Mirabai Chanu entered the Paris Olympics with the weight of expectation on her shoulders. The Tokyo silver medalist was aiming to become the first Indian woman to win multiple Olympic medals. However, a lingering hip tendonitis injury, which had also impacted her performance at the previous Asian Games, posed a significant challenge. Despite this, Chanu's previous achievement of becoming the second Indian lifter to win an Olympic medal after Karnam Malleswari added to the pressure to deliver another podium finish.
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