Mirabai Chanu Wins Silver At Asian Games 2026, Ends India’s 28-Year Wait For Weightlifting Medal

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu has finally added an Asian Games medal to her career. Competing in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Chanu lifted a combined 198kg to win the silver medal on September 23. Her performance also ended India’s 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal. Chanu lifted 87kg in the snatch and followed it up with 111kg in the clean and jerk to finish second. North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won gold with a total of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.

Mirabai Chanu Finally Gets Her Asian Games Medal

The silver is particularly significant for Chanu as the Asian Games medal was one of the major honours missing from her career. She had competed at the 2014 Asian Games, where she finished ninth, while an injury ruled her out of the 2018 edition. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, she narrowly missed the podium after finishing fourth. After years of waiting, Chanu finally stood on the Asian Games podium in Nagoya. The achievement adds an Asian Games medal to a career that already includes an Olympic silver medal, World Championship medals and multiple Commonwealth Games titles.

Chanu’s 198kg Total Secures Silver

Chanu began the competition with an 83kg snatch, before successfully lifting 85kg and then 87kg on her final attempt. In the clean and jerk, she opened with 107kg and successfully cleared 111kg on her second attempt, taking her overall total to 198kg.

India’s 28-Year Wait Ends

Chanu’s silver also brought India back onto the Asian Games weightlifting podium for the first time since 1998. The previous Indian medal in the sport came at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, when Karnam Malleswari won silver in the women’s 63kg category. The Indian Olympic Association’s records confirm Malleswari’s silver from those Games. That makes Chanu’s achievement both a personal milestone and a landmark moment for Indian weightlifting.

Ri Song Gum Takes Gold

North Korea’s Ri Song Gum dominated the 49kg competition, finishing with a massive 215kg total. She lifted 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk, finishing 17kg ahead of Chanu and securing her third consecutive Asian Games gold medal in the discipline. For Chanu, however, the silver completed a major missing chapter in a career that has already seen her win medals at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.