"Asian Games medal will feel like Olympic medal," says Mirabai Chanu days after CWG gold

The cameras moved on, the emotions of the medal ceremony had already settled. Mirabai Chanu’s fourth Commonwealth Games medal confidently hung around her neck.

Back home it was past midnight and her family was fast asleep by the time all the formalities wrapped up.

Mirabai then had a peaceful moment with her long-time coach Vijay Kumar, who has shared every emotion of her journey. Together they revisited the struggles, the heartbreak of missing out on a medal in the Paris Olympics, the injury that kept her out of action and most importantly the efforts put which went in over the past four years to bring her back on the podium.

The conversation was not about winning the gold but it was about everything that had gone into winning it.

Back in India, Mirabai confidently wore the medal that represents years of resilience.

“My family had slept by the time I got free. I sat down with (Vijay) Sir and spoke about all that we had faced in the last four years,” Mirabai told The Bridge on her return from Glasgow on Sunday.

Mirabai was just 19 when she first stepped onto the Commonwealth Games podium, winning silver in women’s 48kg category in 2014 Glasgow. Twelve years and three editions later, the weightlifter from Manipur completed a golden hat-trick, with her 2026 title being her third consecutive CWG gold.

“I am very happy that I had won a silver medal in Glasgow (2014) then it was the beginning of my Commonwealth Games campaign. After that I won three golds for India. I am happy I could do that,” Mirabai reflected.

"Every player goes through a lot of changes. I am now 31, I was 19 then. The focus then was only on performance, but now to maintain that performance with age is a tough ask for the body," she added.

Mirabai suffered a hip injury at the Hangzhou Asian Games and a recurring shoulder niggle at the 2026 National Championships sidelined her from the Asian Championships.

In Glasgow, Mirabai lifted 190 kg in total, a Games record effort.

Reflecting on her win, Mirabai said, "I faced a lot of things on the way to winning this medal. I battled injuries and considering the journey, the 2026 gold is the most special one."

"Asian Games medal equal to Olympic medal"

Mirabai missed out on a second Olympic medal in Paris 2024 by the narrowest of margins, finishing finishing fourth in the women's 49kg category by just 1kg.

Her medals cabinet already boasts medals from the Olympics, the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games. But the one that has eluded her is an Asian Games medal. And the determined weightlifter plans to add it soon.

“When I started weightlifting, I heard a lot about the Asian Games. The competition is very hard there. And that’s the only medal that I have not won, I have won everything else. I didn't win a medal in the Paris Olympics, if I win a medal at the Asian Games I will think I won a medal at the Olympics,” she said.

In her journey, her coach Vijay Sharma has played an important role and Mirabai considers herself lucky to have him with her.

“My coach has always been on my side. He keeps telling me what to eat, how to compete. For me, I am the luckiest to have him around. I am here because of him,” she concluded.