Asian Games: Mirabai leads Indian weightlifters in bid to end 28-year medal drought
Indian weightlifters arrive at the 2026 Asian Games in high spirits. A month ago in Glasgow, the team returned from the Commonwealth Games with eight medals, including Mirabai Chan’s third gold in a row. However, the Asian Games have never been kind to Indian weightlifting and this year’s four-member team knows they have as much history against it as any opponent.
The competition runs from September 22 to 28 at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in Aichi-Nagoya. The numbers explain why expectations are tempered. Since the introduction of the sport in 1951, India has collected 14 weightlifting medals, five silver and nine bronze, but not a single gold at the Asian Games. Not since Karnam Malleswari won silver in Bangkok in 1998 has anyone stood behind India on the Asian weightlifting podium. That’s 28 years and counting.
This time, however, India has a familiar face leading the challenge. Mirabai Chanu will compete in the women’s 49kg category, while Commonwealth Games silver medalists Gyaneshwari Yadav and Harjinder Kaur will compete in the 53kg and 69kg categories. Seram Nirupama Devi completes the women’s team in the 61 kg category.
For Chanu, the Asian Games offer an opportunity to fill one big gap in an otherwise decorated multi-sport career. She has won Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals, including gold at three consecutive Commonwealth Games, but an Asian Games medal has remained elusive.
KEY ATHLETES
YOUR MIRABAI (49 kg)
There isn’t and hasn’t been a bigger name on this team for years. Chanu arrives after winning her third Commonwealth Games gold in a row, with Olympic silver and a world title already on her resume.
But what she doesn’t have is an Asian Games medal, and that has remained the only missing piece of her career.
India’s weightlifting star is gunning for an elusive Asian Games medal
Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu took up the sport – and dumbbells – at the age of 13. Now the 32-year-old athlete is highly decorated and has her sights set on a medal at the Asian Games. pic.twitter.com/o43bOeZ7rY— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 19, 2026
She finished ninth at the 2014 Asian Games before missing the 2018 edition with a back injury. At the Hangzhou 2023 Games, Chanu painfully approached the podium. Carrying a thigh injury, she collapsed during her clean attempt at 117 kg and eventually finished fourth, 8 kg for the bronze medal.
A medal in Aichi-Nagoya would finally give Chanu a medal from all three major multi-sport events: the Olympics, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.
GYANESHWARI YADAV (53kg)
Yadav arrives in Aichi-Nagoya as a Commonwealth Games silver medalist and will compete in the women’s 53kg category.
She will have to contend with a strong Asian field, but her performance in Glasgow gives her reason to approach the competition with confidence.
The 53kg category could also become increasingly important for Yadav in the coming years. Chanu, who currently competes in the 48-49kg range, is expected to move up to 53kg, the lightest weight category for women, in view of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
For now, however, Yadav will have his own opportunity to make an impact on the Asian Games stage.
HARJINDER KAUR (69kg)
Another Commonwealth Games silver medalist Harjinder Kaur will compete in the women’s 69kg category.
Her silver in Glasgow means she arrives with recent international form and experience of competing under the pressure of a major multi-sport event.
The challenge will be greater in Asia, but Kaur will be looking to build on her performance at the Commonwealth Games and put herself in contention for a medal.
SERAM NIRUPAMA DEVI (61 kg)
Seram Nirupama Devi completes India’s four-member women’s contingent and will compete in the 61 kg category.
The Asian field will be a tough test but Devi will be looking to make the most of her opportunity to add to India’s weightlifting medal tally.
COMPETITION FORMAT
Each lifter gets three attempts in the grab and three in the clean and jerk. The best valid attempt in each discipline is included in the competitor’s total.
The athlete with the highest total will win the gold medal. A competitor who fails to register a valid lift in all three attempts, whether in the grab or pull, will not have a total and will be disqualified from the competition.
The competition is completely individual, no team medal is awarded. The 2026 Asian Games will use the new IWF weight categories introduced on 1 August 2026. The Games will include five men’s and five women’s categories, with each National Olympic Committee allowing one athlete in each category.
Four Indian athletes will compete in the women’s 49kg, 53kg, 61kg and 69kg categories.
WHAT ARE INDIA’S MEDAL CHANCES?
Glasgow gave Indian weightlifters a lot of confidence. Aichi-Nagoya will provide a very different test.
Asian weightlifting has traditionally been dominated by countries such as China, North Korea, Thailand, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. India’s strong Commonwealth Games campaign will be of no value once the competition begins as riders will face a deeper field and a different level of competition.
Three of India’s four competitors arrive as Commonwealth Games medalists, while Chanu brings years of experience at the highest level.
India’s long wait for a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games makes the challenge all the more significant. The country has not stood on the podium in the sport since Karnam Malleswari’s silver in 1998, while a gold medal has never been won.
For Chana in particular, the Asian Games represent an opportunity to finally add the one major multi-sport medal she has been missing to her collection.
SUBSCRIPTION THAT HURTS
India’s original line-up included a men’s entry, but Rishikanta Singh Chanambam has since withdrawn from the Asian Games.
The Manipuri lifter won silver in the 60kg category at the Commonwealth Games last month despite a knee injury sustained about a week before the competition.
Rishikanta competed through pain in Glasgow and ended up with a silver medal. However, he was subsequently advised not to risk further damage to his knee.
His departure leaves India with an all-women weightlifting contingent in Aichi-Nagoya.
FULL INDIA SQUAD
Athlete (category)
- Mirabai Chanu (Women’s 49kg)
- Gyaneshwari Yadav (Women, 53 kg)
- Seram Nirupama Devi (Women’s 61kg)
- Harjinder Kaur (Women’s 69kg)
Rishikanta Singh Chanambam, who was originally selected for the men’s 60kg category, withdrew from the Asian Games due to a knee injury.
INDIAN SCHEDULE OF EDUCATION (IST)
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 23
10:00 a.m.: Women’s final under 49 kg
1:30 p.m.: Women’s final under 53 kg
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25
10:00 a.m.: Women’s 61 kg final
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27
10:00 a.m.: Women’s 69 kg final
Two of the four Indian riders will be in action on the opening day, with Mirabai Chanu and Gyaneshwari Yadav taking the podium on September 23. Their performances could set the tone for India’s campaign as the team looks to end its 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the Asian Games.
The wait for gold was even longer. India is yet to win an Asian Games title in the sport, but after a medal-winning campaign at the Commonwealth Games, this four-member women’s team arrives in Aichi-Nagoya with renewed confidence. Whether that will be enough to finally break the drought will be decided on the platform.
– The end
Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
22 Sep 2026 20:00 IST