Mirabai Chanu Breaks Asian Games Jinx, Completes Illustrious Career With Historic Silver

The glittering smile of Saikhom Mirabai Chanu finally had another reason to shine as the Indian weightlifting great added the missing feather to her already illustrious career, winning silver in the women's 49kg event at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday, September 23.

For Mirabai Chanu, it was a landmark moment. The Olympic silver medallist had never won an Asian Games medal before, and she finally broke that jinx with a total lift of 198kg at the Nagoya City Trade and Industry Center.

The 32-year-old produced a solid performance in the snatch, successfully lifting 83kg, 85kg and 87kg across her three attempts. Her 87kg effort left her well placed heading into the clean and jerk.

Mirabai Chanu then opened her clean and jerk campaign with 107kg before successfully lifting 111kg on her second attempt. She stopped there, finishing with a combined total of 198kg.

North Korea's Ri Song Gum dominated the competition, finishing with 215kg and setting world records in the snatch, clean and jerk, as well as the overall total. Indonesia's Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana took bronze with 191kg.

Women's 49kg Standings

1. Ri Song Gum (North Korea) — 215kg — Gold

2. Mirabai Chanu (India) — 198kg — Silver

3. Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana (Indonesia) — 191kg — Bronze

Mirabai Chanu's silver marks her first-ever Asian Games medal, completing a notable gap in a career that already includes an Olympic silver medal, a world championship title and multiple Commonwealth Games gold medals.

The Manipuri athlete also became the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to win medals at all major international weightlifting events -- the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Championships.