Over Rs 1 crore spent on Mirabai Chanu's preparation to win an Olympic medal

Shouts of joy in India erupted as the girl from Manipur, Mirabai Chanu rose to success winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in Weighlifting. Twitter was flooded with messages as everyone took centre stage to congratulate the sensational weightlifter. Competing in the 49kg category and lifting a total of 202kg, she kickstarted the Indian medal tally.

All fame and success for this one particular day but what about the years of training and development which helped her reach this stage? Athletes and their success are not built in a day and it's not completely dependent on their performance. It is a constant procedure of collective enhancement of the player through the system and resources offered to them.

#MirabaiChanu has won the hearts of all Indians with her silver medal win today. 🥈

From the heartbreak at Rio to winning India's first medal at Tokyo, @mirabai_chanu's story is a story of a great redemption.#Olympics #TeamIndia #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/0A5nZCnaVY

— The Bridge (@the_bridge_in) July 24, 2021

Over the years, the government has spent Rs 1,200 crore on athletes according to the Sports Authority of India (SAI). This has been possible due to two schemes - The annual calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) and the other important one being TOPS, which is the Target Olympic Podium Schemes covering over 150 athletes across 18 disciplines.

TOPS is one of the reasons behind the success of the Tokyo Olympics silver medallist.

Mirabai Chanu was inducted into TOPS in November 2018 and she has received total funding of Rs 51.51 lakhs towards out-of-pocket allowance, equipment and training support, participation in international competitions, sports science assistance and more.

#TOPSAthlete @mirabai_chanu 🏋️‍♀️ wins 🥉 in Women's 49 Kg weightlifting event at the Asian Championships. She set a new national record by lifting 205 kg & world record in clean and jerk with the lift of 119 kg .

Kudos to you champion ! 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/qlxabpNyho

— Dept of Sports MYAS (@IndiaSports) April 18, 2021

Established with the purpose of helping athletes with all their requirements, TOPS funded the recovery and rehabilitation program of Mirabai twice to be carried out in the United States of America, costing Rs. 1.3 crore. The star weightlifter needed to recover from a back injury and a sore shoulder and funding through the schemes helped her excel at her game on Saturday.

Many top athletes in India have been a part of this program. 106 athletes/teams are a part of TOPS according to SAI's website. They even spent about Rs. 1100 crore for foreign training and exposure in trips in ACTC.

The collective efforts of SAI, TOPS program and the relevant association have contributed to the present success of athletes at the World Championships and now showing its potential at the world's biggest quadrennial sporting event, the Olympics.