Mirabai Chanu wins Asian Games silver in 49kg, ends India's 28-year wait
Synopsis
After missing out at three straight Asian Games — a ninth-place finish in 2014, injury in 2018, and a gut-wrenching fourth in 2023 — Mirabai Chanu finally stood on the continental podium in Nagoya. The silver ends a 28-year Indian drought in Asian Games weightlifting and makes Chanu only the second Indian lifter in history to win medals across all four major international competitions.
Key Takeaways
Mirabai Chanu won silver in the women's 49kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on 23 September 2026 .
She lifted a total of 198kg ( 87kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk) at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre .
The medal ends India's 28-year wait for an Asian Games weightlifting podium since Karnam Malleshwari's silver in Bangkok in 1998 .
Gold went to Ri Song-gum of North Korea ( 210kg ); bronze to Indonesia's Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri ( 191kg ).
Chanu is now the second Indian weightlifter after Malleshwari to medal at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships.
She had previously suffered a thigh injury that cost her a medal at Hangzhou 2023 , where she finished fourth .
Mirabai Chanu clinched a historic silver medal in the women's 49kg weightlifting event at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, ending India's 28-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the continental showpiece. The 32-year-old lifted a total of 198kg — 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk — at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Centre.
How the competition unfolded
Two-time Asian Games and world champion Ri Song-gum of North Korea claimed gold with a dominant total of 210kg (94kg snatch, 121kg clean and jerk). Indonesia's Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri took bronze, lifting 191kg (87kg snatch, 103kg clean and jerk). Chanu opened her campaign with an 87kg snatch and matched that weight in her successful clean-and-jerk attempt to finish with her total of 198kg.
A milestone two decades in the making
The silver made Chanu India's first Asian Games weightlifting medallist since Karnam Malleshwari won silver in Bangkok in 1998 — a gap of exactly 28 years. The podium finish also completed her collection across all three major multi-sport events: the Olympics, the Asian Games, and the Commonwealth Games. Notably, she joins Malleshwari as only the second Indian weightlifter to win medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and Asian and Commonwealth Championships.
A career defined by resilience
Chanu's road to Nagoya was marked by repeated near-misses at this specific tournament. She finished ninth on her Asian Games debut in 2014. A 2018 injury forced her out of the Jakarta edition entirely. At Hangzhou in 2023, a thigh injury disrupted her clean-and-jerk attempts and left her in a heartbreaking fourth place. Her Olympic journey had its own dramatic arc: a failure to register a valid lift at the Rio 2016 Games preceded a remarkable comeback at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where she won the silver medal. Appropriately, Wednesday's breakthrough came in Japan — the same country where her Olympic podium moment arrived.
What Chanu has achieved
Beyond the Asian Games silver, Chanu's cabinet includes an Olympic silver from Tokyo 2020, a World Championship title, and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. The Nagoya medal was the one piece missing from an otherwise complete international record. The result also extended India's growing medal tally at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.
With the Asian Games podium now secured, Chanu's career arc enters its final chapter — and the question of how she builds on this achievement heading into the next Olympic cycle will be closely watched.
Point of View
In Japan of all places, to convert a fourth-place heartbreak into a podium finish says something about elite athlete longevity that Indian sport rarely gets to celebrate. The deeper question now is succession — Chanu has been a one-person weightlifting story for India for over a decade, and no credible successor has emerged in the 49kg category.
NationPress
23 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What medal did Mirabai Chanu win at the 2026 Asian Games?
Mirabai Chanu won a silver medal in the women's 49kg weightlifting event at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on 23 September 2026. She lifted a total of 198kg — 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk.
Why is Chanu's Asian Games medal historically significant?
It is India's first Asian Games weightlifting medal in 28 years, since Karnam Malleshwari won silver in Bangkok in 1998. It also makes Chanu only the second Indian weightlifter to win medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and World Championships.
Who won gold in the 49kg weightlifting at the 2026 Asian Games?
North Korea's Ri Song-gum, a two-time Asian Games and world champion, won gold with a total lift of 210kg — 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk. Indonesia's Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri took bronze with 191kg.
What setbacks did Chanu face at previous Asian Games?
Chanu finished ninth on her Asian Games debut in 2014, was ruled out of the 2018 Jakarta Games through injury, and finished a painful fourth at Hangzhou in 2023 after a thigh injury affected her clean-and-jerk attempts. Wednesday's silver in Nagoya was her first Asian Games podium finish.
What other major medals does Mirabai Chanu hold?
Chanu holds an Olympic silver from the Tokyo 2020 Games, a World Championship title, and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. The 2026 Asian Games silver completes her collection across all major multi-sport and global weightlifting competitions.
