Mirabai Chanu reveals that she went without food for two days before CWG gold

Mirabai Chanu revealed she did not eat for two days before winning India’s first gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, producing another remarkable display to dominate the women’s 48kg weightlifting event in Glasgow on Sunday.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist overcame missed opening attempts in both the snatch and the previous clean and jerk rewriting the Commonwealth Games record book with a total lift of 190kg. It was Mirabai’s third Commonwealth Games medal in a row and India’s third medal overall at the Games.

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Still gasping for breath after stepping off the stage where she broke down during the national anthem, Mirabai had a surprise entrance for reporters.

“Jaldi jaldi karo, maine kuch khaaya nahi hai 2 din se (Please do it quickly, I haven’t eaten for two days),” Mirabai said with a smile.

The 31-year-old later became embittered as she spoke about the support she received from her family and long-time coach Vijay Sharma.

“They supported me in everything.

“I was under a lot of pressure from family and friends, so happy to win the third gold for India.

Mirabai also revealed that she had no intention of pushing herself too hard in Glasgow, especially with the Asian Games less than two months away.

“I didn’t want to put in too much effort in these games, but my first attempt didn’t go well. Coach and I thought I would do two lifts each.”

MIRABAI REBOUNDS TO BREAK RECORDS

Mirabai’s competition only started after the rest of the field had completed their trials, underscoring the gap in class between her and the other contenders.

Despite not clearing her opening haul of 82kg, she immediately recovered to match the same weight before lifting 85kg to set a new Commonwealth record. There was another brief scare when she missed her first attempt at 105kg, but responded in typical champion fashion by completing the lift on her second attempt.

The successful performance of 105 kg not only sealed the gold medall but also set new Commonwealth Games records in the clean and jerk and overall with 190kg. Mirabai, who had already secured victory, skipped her final attempt to avoid unnecessary tension ahead of the Asian Games.

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Mirabai finished a staggering 22kg ahead of Nigeria’s Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who claimed silver with a total of 168kg, underscoring her dominance in the competition.

It was also another memorable day for Manipuri weightlifting as compatriot Rishikanta Singh added a silver medal in the men’s event. Although he equaled the Commonwealth Games record with a superb lift of 121kg, two failed clean and jerk attempts brought him a total of 264kg and denied him a shot at gold.

But for Mirabai, Glasgow added another golden chapter to an already glittering career and cemented her status as one of India’s greatest weightlifters ahead of her next big challenge at the Asian Games.

– The end

Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

27 Jul 2026 09:40 IST