Phuket (Thailand): Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu finished third in the women’s 49kg group B event of the IWF World Cup, and has all but qualified for the 2024 Paris Games.
Returning after a six-month-long injury layoff, Chanu showcased her resilience by lifting a total of 184kg (81kg snatch + 103kg clean and jerk), which is the final and mandatory qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
However, the official announcement for the qualification will come after the conclusion of the World Cup when the Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) will be updated.
In the women’s 49kg OQR, the 2017 world champion is presently ranked second, behind Jian Hui Hua of China. The top ten lifters in each weight division will earn a spot in the Olympics in Paris.
Chanu last competed in the Asian Games in September, where she suffered a hip tendonitis injury, was not at her best, and made five clean lifts. The 29-year-old has a personal best of 88kg in snatch while she had lifted the then-world record of 119kg in clean and jerk at the Asian Championships in 2021.
It will be her third Olympic representation and will be the lone Indian weightlifter at the Paris Games.
–IANS