Mirabai Chanu has made our hearts swell with pride after winning the gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Anaheim, USA. The last medal was won by Karnam Malleshwari way back in 1995. 

She created a national record in the 48 kg category

As you can see in the video embedded below, Chanu lifted 194 kg (85 kg in snatch and 109 kg in clean and jerk). 

Let’s take a look at some facts about her that you should know. 

She couldn’t even afford a glass of milk

“Our coaches used to give us diet charts, in which chicken and milk were an essential part of my diet. I knew I couldn’t afford it every day. So for close to a year I lifted eating the unhealthiest of foods, which did affect my game,” she said in an interview with Sportskeeda.  

Her inspiration was Kunjarani Devi

“When I was a kid, I first saw Kunjarani Devi, the sport looked so appealing, I was baffled at how she was lifting such heavy weights. So I told my parents that I wanted to do this, with much reluctance they agreed. In our state, you can compare Kunjarani to what Sania Mirza is to tennis. Every Manipuri girl wanted to be like her,” she said in an interview with Sportskeeda. 

She had an extremely disappointing Rio 2016 Olympics

She failed to complete a single attempt, and finished with a DNF (did not finish) score. She attributed this failure to a bad bout of nerves. 

She almost quit weightlifting

Her parents asked her to quit the sport if she didn’t qualify for Rio Olympics due to lack of finances. She did qualify and even though she didn’t do well there, her recent victory at the World Weightlifting Championship makes us glad that she made it through.