Forde, October 3: Olympic medallist Mirabai Chanu added another feather to her illustrious career, clinching a silver medal in the women’s 48kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships 2025 in Forde, Norway, on Friday.
The 31-year-old Indian lifter, returning to the global stage after her comeback at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in August, produced a total lift of 199kg — 84kg in snatch and 115kg in clean and jerk. This marks her third medal at the World Championships, following her gold in 2017 and silver in 2022.
Chanu struggled slightly in the snatch, missing two attempts at 87kg and settling with 84kg. However, she regained composure in the clean and jerk, successfully lifting 109kg, 112kg, and 115kg — the same weight she managed at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago.
North Korea’s Ri Song Gum stole the spotlight with a record-breaking performance, securing gold with a total lift of 213kg (91kg snatch + 122kg clean and jerk). Thailand’s Thanyathon Sukcharoen took bronze with 198kg (88kg + 110kg).
India has fielded a 14-member squad at the championships, which serve as a qualifying event for next year’s Commonwealth Games. Alongside Chanu, lifters including Koyel Bar (53kg), Bindyarani Devi Sorokhaibam (58kg), Nirupama Devi Seram (63kg), Harjinder Kaur (69kg), Vanshita Verma (86kg), and Mehak Sharma (86kg+) will compete in the women’s categories.
In August, Bindyarani, Nirupama, and Mehak bagged silver medals, while Harjinder and Vanshita claimed bronze at the Commonwealth Championships in Ahmedabad. The men’s squad is led by Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Lovepreet Singh, who also earned bronze in Ahmedabad earlier this year, with Ajith Narayana and Ajaya Babu Valluri winning gold.
