Nagoya, Sep 23 (IANS) Mirabai Chanu’s historic Asian Games silver medal completed a long-awaited dream for her coach Vijay Sharma, who said the podium finish was equally significant for Indian weightlifting as it ended the country’s 28-year wait for a medal at the continental showpiece.

“Every coach has a dream. You set certain goals for yourself and think, ‘This is something I have to achieve in my life.’ One thing that was missing from my list of dreams was an Asian Games medal. Today, I have got that medal, so my dream has been fulfilled. And now, after achieving this, perhaps I can dream of new things,” Sharma told IANS.

The 32-year-old Chanu lifted a total of 198kg (87kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk) to win the silver medal in the women’s 49kg category.

Ri Song-gum of North Korea took gold with a 210kg total, and Indonesia’s Wijayana Luluk Diani Tri won bronze with 191kg.

The medal ended a long wait for Chanu at the Asian Games. She missed the 2018 edition due to injury and finished fourth in the 2023 Hangzhou Games after a thigh injury hampered her performance in the clean and jerk.

And the silver also filled Chanu’s medal collection from the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.

For Indian weightlifting, the achievement carried even greater significance as it marked the country’s first Asian Games medal in the sport since Karnam Malleswari won silver at the 1998 Bangkok Games.

Sharma underlined the wider importance of Chanu’s achievement and said it could inspire the next generation of Indian weightlifters.

“This medal is as important to me as it is for the country, and it is equally important for Indian weightlifting. The last medal came in 1998, and we have got another medal today after all these years. So, this medal is important for the next generation of Indian weightlifters because it shows that we can stand up again and win medals at the Asian Games. This medal is very, very important for the entire weightlifting community and for the future of Indian weightlifting.”

Chanu’s silver also added to India’s medal tally at the ongoing Asian Games and ensured that her long-awaited pursuit of an Asian Games podium finish finally came to fruition.

–IANS

hs/bsk/