Mirabai Chanu rewrites own record, lifts mammoth 203 kg

India's weightlifting queen Mirabai Chanu, on Tuesday, rewrote her own national record, by lifting a total of 203 kg to win the gold medal in the 49-kg category at the National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata.

The 25-year-old Manipuri, in fact, made three national records, as she lifted 88 kg in snatch in her second attempt and 115 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 203 kg.

In the race for Tokyo Olympics qualification, Mirabai has gathered 3,869.8038 ranking points so far and looks set to go and even secure a medal there. After a disappointing outing in Rio, the lifter had gone into depression and had even considered leaving the sport. However, she roared back to form by claiming the gold medal at the World Championships in 2017.

Since returning from a difficult back injury, which marred her progress in 2018, the spritely youngster has constantly improved her performances in 2019. She lifted 86 kg in snatch and a personal best of 113 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 199 kg at the Asian Championships in April last year to miss the bronze medal by a whisker. Her best performance, though, came at the World Championship in September, when the Manipuri breached the much anticipated 200 kg mark by lifting her personal best in all sections. In snatch, she lifted 87 kg, followed by 114 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 201 kg.