Saikhom Mirabai Chanu Targets Next Year's Asian Championships To Return From Hip Injury

Recuperating from the hip injury she suffered during the Asian Games, star Indian lifter Mirabai Chanu is targeting a return to action in the Asian Championships next year. This means like in the World Championships in September, she will only mark her attendance by completing the necessary formalities in the next Olympic qualifying event, which is the IWF Grand Prix II in Doha from December 4 to 14. (More Sports News)

She will not be lifting the barbell.

The Olympic silver medallist, who had sustained the injury last month while competing at the Hangzhou Games, has been diagnosed with hip tendinitis.

"Mira has hip tendonitis, specifically an issue in her TFL (a muscle on the front of the hip that connects to the lower leg). But the problem is cured now," national coach Vijay Sharma told PTI on Friday.

"The doctor had asked Mira to rest for six weeks. She has started her rehab process in Patiala. She is 75 per cent fit now. She will start training from December 20," he added.

At the Asian Games, Chanu's hip had given up while trying to lift 117kg in the clean and jerk section. She had fallen to the floor while attempting the lift and had to be carried away.

The former world champion struggles from an imbalance problem that affects her right shoulder and back. Earlier in May, at the Asian Championships, a dodgy hip had forced her to skip the last two attempts, dashing her hopes of a medal.

"All her injuries are in some way caused by that imbalance issue. But she will fully recover (from the latest injury) by the Asian Championships and that will be her comeback event," Sharma added.

The Asian Championships, one of the Olympic qualifying events, are scheduled to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from February 3 to 10.

Chanu, who competes in the 49kg event, is currently ranked second in the Olympic Qualification Rating (OQR) with a total effort of 200kg, which she lifted at the 2022 World Championships. 

"To give her body weight is compulsory. So Mira will just go to do that at the Grand Prix," Sharma said.

The IWF Paris 2024 qualification system states "Participation means at a minimum, attending, weighing-in and participating in the official introduction of athletes. For the avoidance of doubt, participation does not require competing at the event."

Under the 2024 Olympic qualification rule, a lifter has to compulsorily compete in the 2023 World Championships and the 2024 World Cup.

Apart from the above, the lifter also has to participate in three of the following events — the 2022 World Championships, the 2023 Continental Championships, the 2023 Grand Prix 1, the 2023 Grand Prix II and the 2024 Continental Championships.

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) updates the Olympic Qualification Rating (OQR) of each weight category at the end of every qualifying event.

One lifter per Olympic bodyweight category per NOC with the highest totals (in kilograms) achieved in any of the Qualification Events will get to compete at the Paris Games.