Mirabai Chanu: gold medalist of Commonwealth Games 2026

Olympic medalist Saikom Mirabai Chanu, at Commonwealth Games Glasgow gave her a medal and a moment to show her emotions. As the Indian national anthem echoed through the arena following her victory in the Women's 48kg weightlifting event, the veteran lifter couldn't hold back her tears not out of exhaustion, but pure joy at delivering India's first gold of the Commonwealth Games 2026, and her own third CWG medal, a feat no Indian weightlifter had achieved before her.

The numbers behind the medal shows their own story. The 31 years old weightlifter lifted a total of 190 kilograms, set new records of Commonwealth Games by lifting 85kg in the snatch and 105 kg in the clean and jerk. The Mirabai Chanu standing at the top of the dais, earned her third consecutive Commonwealth gold and first medal of this season CWG 2026.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Mirabai "Seeing the flag and hearing our national anthem just brings tears to my eyes. The tears are of joy because I won India's gold medal in the Commonwealth Games. I am very happy that I could give another gold medal for India," she said, still visibly moved as she spoke.

What the scoreboard doesn't show is the hardship to get there. In the days leading up to the competition, Chanu had to lose two kilograms in a short span to make the 48kg cut a punishing stretch of restricted eating and dehydration that athletes in weight-category sports know all too well. It's the kind of sacrifice that happens far away from the cameras, long before an athlete ever steps onto the platform, and one she to when reflecting on just how different this campaign felt from her earlier ones.

"This one is different from everything I had to overcome. Managing my weight, recovering from injuries, dealing with pain it all made this journey much harder. Earlier, I could simply focus on training. Now I have to manage many more things around my body as well. That's why this gold medal gives me immense satisfaction," she said.

Mirabai Chanu's journey to this point has been quietly built in Manipur long before the world took notice. Born on 8 August 1994 in Nongpok Kakching in Imphal district, she was the youngest of six siblings, there were stories from her childhood that hinted an unusual strength at just 12 years old, she carried a bundle of firewood that her elder brothers had struggled to lift. That early strength eventually led her to training academy at the Sports Academy in Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal, a phase that in its early days involved rides with sand-truck drivers just to travel from her hometown to the city for training.

Mirabai Chanu wasn't the only Indian lifter to shine on the platform. The Indian weightlifting contingent had a strong overall showing, with Chanambam Rishikanta Singh claiming silver medal in the men's 60kg category with a total lift of 264kg, and Raja Muthupandi adding another silver medal in the 65kg category — giving India a strong medal haul across categories.

Mirabai Chanu isn't stop by this triumph. Her focus now shifts to the Asian Games, the next big target on a calendar.

More than the medals themselves, though, it's Chanu's mindset that continues to set her apart. Rather than settling after one triumph, she has consistently pushed to build on it — turning one gold medal into a career defined by returning, again and again, to the top of the podium. Her message to the next generation of athletes captured that philosophy plainly: "There will be difficult moments — sometimes you'll win medals, sometimes you won't. If you win, stay focused. If you lose, learn from it and work on improving.” The remarks of Mirabai Chanu.