Olympic champion Mirabai Chanu marked a triumphant return to the international stage by clinching a silver medal in the women's 48 kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships 2025 in Førde, Norway. The 31-year-old Indian lifter tallied a total of 199 kg, finishing behind North Korea's Ri Song-gum but ahead of Thailand's Thanyathon Sukcharoen. This podium finish comes just months after Chanu's sixth-place effort at the Paris 2024 Olympics, signalling her resilience and readiness for future challenges, including the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The championships, a premier annual event under the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), drew top global talent amid ongoing efforts to combat doping and promote clean sport. In the 48kg division, Ri dominated with a historic performance, sweeping all three golds and shattering world records: 91kg in snatch, 122kg in clean and jerk, and a staggering 213kg total. Sukcharoen claimed bronze with 198 kg, edging out Chanu by a single kilogram in a fiercely contested field. Chanu's lifts—specific breakdowns not detailed in reports—reflected her technical precision, honed through rigorous training at the National Institute of Sport in Patiala. Her medal adds to India's modest but growing medal tally at the Worlds, where the country has historically punched above its weight in women's categories.

Chanu's journey to this silver is one of perseverance. The Manipur native burst onto the scene with a gold at the 2017 Anaheim Worlds, followed by Olympic silver in Tokyo 2020—the first for an Indian woman in weightlifting. A back injury sidelined her post-Tokyo, but she rebounded with Commonwealth gold in August 2025. "This medal is a step forward after Paris; I'm building strength for what's next," Chanu said in a post-event statement, emphasising mental fortitude. Her success highlights the support from the Sports Authority of India and coach Vijay Sharma, who credited her focus on recovery and technique.

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As the championships continue—with women's 53 kg and men's 60 kg events slated next—other Indians like Lovepreet Singh (bronze at Commonwealths) are poised to compete. Chanu's achievement boosts morale ahead of the Asian Championships in December, reinforcing India's weightlifting resurgence. With government initiatives like Khelo India investing ₹2,000 crore annually in elite sports, her silver serves as inspiration for young athletes, particularly women from Northeast India, where access to facilities has improved but challenges persist.

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