India opened its medal tally at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 courtesy of weightlifter Mirabai Chanu who won the silver medal in the Women’s 49kg event. The 26-year old finished behind China’s Hou Zhihui, who not only won the gold medal but also created an Olympic record in snatch as well as lift and jerk events. This was a reward for the effort Mirabai Chanu put after the 2016 Olympic failure in Rio, where she had failed to register legal lifts in 5 out of 6 lifts.
Abhinav Bindra pens down message for Mirabai Chanu post her Olympic triumph
While Twitter was flooded with inspiring messages for Mirabai Chanu post her triumph in Tokyo on Saturday, former Olympian and 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist in shooting Abhinav Bindra shared a heartwarming letter on his social media handle congratulating the silver medalist (Chanu). Bindra praised Mirabai Chanu’s performance and said that this kind of performance will be remembered by the country for a long time to come.
Many many Congratulations to @mirabai_chanu on winning India’s first medal at #Tokyo2020. Such An inspiring performance that will be remembered for a long time to come and will inspire generations. Well done 🙌 — Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) July 24, 2021
In his letter which Bindra shared, he wrote “Dear Mirabai, Many congratulations on winning an Olympic Silver medal for India. Your outstanding performance at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 is sure to be remembered as one of the best by an Indian athlete at the Olympic Games and shall also serve as an inspiration for generations to come. In over a hundred years of our nation’s participation in the Games, only a special few have managed to experience the edition of standing at the podium. It is a reward for years of hard work and single-minded determination spent o perfecting your craft. All the sacrifices you made in your quest to bring glory to the nation will make this incredible milestone even sweeter”.
Recap of Mirabai Chanu’s performance
Mirabai Chanu started the snatch event by lifting 84kg in her first attempt. The Indian lifter upped her ante in her second lift in which she lifted 87kg in her second attempt. World Champion China’s Hoi Zhuihui topped the standings at the halfway mark after lift 92kg after two attempts. Both Chanu and US weightlifter Jourdan Delacruz failed to lift 89 kg in their third attempt allowing Zhuihui to stay top of the table. The Chinese weightlifter made a new Olympic record in the snatch by lifting 94kg in her third and final lift.
In the Clean and Jerk event, Chanu, who holds the world record of 119kg registered herself for 110kg lift. With he US lifter failing her all threeattempts it was matchup between Zhuihui and Chanu. Zhuihui managed to lift 109 kg in her first attempt and upped her ante by registering for 114 kg in her second lift. Chanu cleared the 110kg lift confirming the silver medal for India in the event. In the second lift, Zhuihui created an Olympic record by lifting the 114 kg mark, which was broken by Chanu, who lifted 115kg in her second lift. In the third attempt, the Chinese lifter cleared 116 kg mark to create a new Olympic record. Chanu failed to lift 117 kg in her final attempt, ultimately settling for silver.
Image: @Abhinav Bindra/ Twitter/ PTI