Star Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu, who won a silver medal in the 49kg category at Tokyo 2020, faces a major challenge as the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has dropped her weight class from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The new lowest women’s weight division will be 53kg, forcing Chanu to bulk up to compete in the 2028 Games. Chief national coach Vijay Sharma views this shift positively, noting the extreme difficulty Chanu faced in maintaining a lower weight. However, Chanu will continue competing in her current 48kg/49kg range until the Asian Games next year.​

The change comes as part of the IOC’s decision to expand the weightlifting programme to 12 events at LA 2028, with women’s categories set at 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, and +86kg. The 49kg class Chanu excelled in at the Tokyo Olympics and earlier World Championships will no longer be part of the Olympic program, although it will continue in other IWF events. The new weight categories will be implemented from August 1, 2026.​

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Chanu, 31, has expressed the physical strain of cutting weight to stay in the lower classes, and moving to 53kg might work in her favor by allowing increased muscle mass. She has won multiple medals in lighter categories, including gold at the Commonwealth Championships and silver at the World Championships in 48kg. With the Asian Games as her immediate focus in the 48/49kg class, she will undergo a gradual transition to the higher category post-2026 to prepare for LA 2028.​

This weight category realignment represents the second recent shift for Chanu; earlier this year, the 49kg category was briefly removed from the World Championships programme before being reinstated for those events but excluded from the Olympics. The restructured Olympic classes reflect the IOC and IWF’s efforts to balance gender representation and streamline weightlifting competitions.​

The move also holds strategic promise for Indian weightlifting as lifters like Chanu can now avoid drastic weight cuts and potentially increase strength in higher categories. India's youth record holder Koyel Bar already competes in the 53kg class, which may bolster India’s medal chances in the new Olympic format.​This article summarizes the impact of the Olympic weight class changes on Mirabai Chanu and highlights the transition plan ahead of LA 2028.

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