After Olympics, Chanu sets sights on Asian Games medal

Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu’s next target is a medal at the 2022 Asian Games. She also has her sights set on a gold at the Paris Olympics in three years’ time.

Chanu ended India's over two-decade-long wait for a weightlifting medal at the just-concluded Olympics, clinching the silver medal in the 49kg category.

Now back to the country, she is focussing on the Asian Games gold medal, which remains the only accolade missing from her showcase.

"My target is now Asian Games, where there is no medal in weightlifting. I will try my best to bring a medal for India in weightlifting from the 2022 Asian Games," said Chanu, during a virtual press conference where she was unveiled as brand ambassador of Amway Nutrilite.

"After that in 2024 (Paris Olympics), I will try to convert this silver medal into gold."

Chanu won a silver and gold at the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games respectively. In between, she also won the World Championships title in 2017.

She also has a bronze medal from the 2020 Asian Championships, but an Asian Games medal is missing.

The 27-year-old from Manipur pulled out of the 2018 Asian Games after failing to recover from a lower back injury, which also forced her to withdraw from the World Championships.

She acknowledged the contribution of her coach, Vijay Sharma, in her journey to an Olympic medallist.

"The more I would say, less it would be (Jitna bolu wo kam rahega)," she said.

"Whenever my training was bad or I had an injury, he always stood by me ... he has always supported me and motivated me," she said, adding he never let her feel low in any of the defeats.

Chanu said Sharma treated her "like a daughter" and wished that "the up-and-coming lifters, especially girls, should have a coach like him."

The 27-year-old from Manipur also urged girls to take up sports and stressed on the importance of family support.

"I just want to say that the young players, especially girls, there is a perception that girls cannot achieve anything, which is wrong. They can do a lot of things, they have lot of power inside them," she said.

While family responsibilities should not be neglected, she said girls should also express their inner power to do something.

"All girls must have seen such dreams that 'I can also do'. Why can't girls do?" she declared, exhorting girls to take up weightlifting.

"I request the families to support their girls in the sport, to go ahead in the fields which they are aspiring."

• TOKYO OLYMPICS