Cricket fraternity lauds Mirabai Chanu for winning silver in Tokyo Olympics

Mirabai Chanu gave India its first medal in the Tokyo Olympics. Chanu bagged a silver in the 49 KG category, lifting 202 Kg (87kg in snatch and 115kg in clean and jerk). Mirabai became only the second Indian weightlifter after Karnam Malleswari to bag an Olympic medal. She also became the sixth Indian woman to bag an Olympic medal after Malleswari, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, and Sakshi Malik.

Meanwhile, Indian cricketers were ecstatic after Mirabai’s win and extended their wishes to the Indian weightlifter.

Congratulations to #MirabaiChanu 👏 Our country’s first medal at the #TokyoOlympics 😊 Take a bow 🇮🇳👏 pic.twitter.com/SosgcE4X3m

— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) July 24, 2021

𝗠𝗜𝗥𝗔𝗕𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗨!🥈👏🏻 🏋🏻‍♀️



Absolutely amazing display of weightlifting.



The way you have transformed yourself after your injury and clinched a historic silver for #TeamIndia is absolutely stupendous.



You have made 🇮🇳 very proud. #Tokyo2020 #Olympics pic.twitter.com/pacYIgQ7LK

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 24, 2021

Saikhom Mirabai chanu well done 👏👏👏🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 @mirabai_chanu #MirabaiChanu 💪💪 #Olympics #tokoyoOlympics

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) July 24, 2021

Congratulations #MirabaiChanu on making us proud and bringing us glory.

Our first medal at the #TokyoOlympics2020 , a 🥈 in the Women's 49kg weightlifting . Super Proud pic.twitter.com/8Un7GvxZjU

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) July 24, 2021

The first one is here!

Congratulations @mirabai_chanu for winning a silver medal 🥈 in weightlifting for India.

Proud moment!#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/MhSeAtnvDS

— DK (@DineshKarthik) July 24, 2021

1.3 billion Indians proud of #MirabaiChanu! जय हिंद 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/lHLnENoNCR

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) July 24, 2021

MIRABAI CHANU Olympic Silver Medalist!🙌🏻👏🏻🇮🇳 #Weightlifting #Olympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/A7jEu2ZJz8

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) July 24, 2021

China’s Hou Zhihui, the current world record holder bagged the gold, lifting a total of 210 Kg, creating a new world record while Indonesia’s Aisah Windy Cantika won bronze with a total of 194 kg.

"I am very happy, I have been dreaming of this for the past five years. I am very proud of myself right now. I did try for gold but even silver is a great achievement for me," Chanu told reporters after her career-defining triumph for which she had been training in the US for past few months.

Chanu had a forgettable outing in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she failed to pull off a single lift. However, she looked assured from her first lift in Tokyo and bagged a silver. Mirabai Chanu entered the competition at 84 kg in the snatch category and was successful in her first lift. She then lifted 87 Kg before failing to lift 89 KG in her third attempt. In the clean and jerk, she lifted 110 KG and 115 KG in her first two attempts but failed to lift 117 KG in the third attempt.  However she was assured of a silver by then. Chanu said she does not just belong to Manipur but to the whole of India.

"I am very happy to win the first medal for India at these Games. I don't just belong to Manipur, I belong to the whole country," she added in response to a query on what it meant for her as a Manipuri.