Mirabai Chanu returned to Glasgow with unfinished memories from 2014. Twelve years later, she left the city as a three-time Commonwealth Games champion after producing another commanding performance.

Back in 2014, a 19-year-old Mirabai had arrived in Glasgow after winning gold at the 2013 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships. Competing in the 48kg category, she had lifted a combined 166kg at the championships before improving her total to 170kg at the Commonwealth Games. That performance, however, was not enough for gold.

The competition turned into a battle between two lifters from Manipur. Sanjita Chanu held the advantage after the snatch, while the lead changed hands during the clean and jerk. Sanjita eventually secured gold with a total lift of 173kg. Mirabai’s final attempt at 98kg would have tied the overall score, but she could not complete the lift and settled for silver, just three kilograms behind. This time, there was no close finish.

Historic third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold

Mirabai delivered a dominant display to win her third successive Commonwealth Games gold medal, becoming the first Indian woman weightlifter to achieve that milestone.

The 31-year-old also rewrote the record books in Glasgow. She broke the Commonwealth and Commonwealth Games snatch records before setting new Commonwealth Games marks in the clean and jerk and overall total. She finished with a combined lift of 190kg, made up of 85kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk.

Her victory underlined the gap between her and the rest of the field as she comfortably stayed ahead throughout the competition.

A record of dominance at the Commonwealth Games

Mirabai’s success at the Commonwealth Games has been built over three editions. At the 2018 Gold Coast Games, she lifted a Games record total of 196kg, including an 86kg snatch and a 110kg clean and jerk. She finished 30kg clear of the silver medallist.

She raised the standard again at the Birmingham Games four years later, producing a total of 201kg with lifts of 88kg and 113kg to successfully defend her title.

Her latest gold in Glasgow completed a rare hat-trick and further strengthened her legacy at the Commonwealth Games.

Asian Games remains Mirabai’s biggest target

Despite another gold medal, Mirabai had already made it clear before the competition that Glasgow was not her primary focus.

“I will not give my full effort in the Commonwealth Games. My focus is the Asian Games, which are very near. I am training according to that. So my performance and effort here will depend on that plan,” Mirabai said last Thursday.

Her approach remained unchanged even after she missed her opening attempts in both the snatch and clean and jerk.

“We were not going to put in so much effort in these Games, but my first attempt failed because of my own mistake. We also had to see what was going on in training and what more improvements were needed. Bringing my body weight down to 48kg itself has been very difficult,” she said after winning gold.

She also confirmed that a bigger milestone is still ahead. “I will try to get 90kg at the Asian Games for sure.”

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The one medal still missing from Mirabai Chanu’s career

Between her first appearance in Glasgow and her latest triumph, Mirabai has built one of the finest careers in Indian weightlifting.

She became world champion in 2017, ending India’s 20-year wait for a world title in the sport. She followed that with Commonwealth Games gold in Gold Coast before a back injury ruled her out of the 2018 Asian Games.

Mirabai then won India’s first Olympic weightlifting medal in two decades by claiming silver at the Tokyo Olympics. She added another Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham before a hip injury disrupted her campaign at the postponed Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, where she finished fourth. Another fourth-place finish came at the Paris Olympics.

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She bounced back by winning gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships and silver at the World Championships in 2025.

Yet one achievement continues to remain out of reach. An Asian Games medal. She finished ninth on her Asian Games debut in 2014, missed the 2018 edition because of injury and narrowly missed the podium in 2023.

Why could Nagoya define the next chapter?

The upcoming Asian Games in Nagoya carry added importance for Mirabai.

The International Weightlifting Federation has removed the 48kg and 49kg categories from the Olympic programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The weight division that has defined her international career will no longer be part of the Olympic competition.

After making history with three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals, Mirabai’s attention is now firmly on Nagoya, where she will aim to win the Asian Games medal that has so far escaped her.

FAQs

Why is Mirabai Chanu’s Commonwealth Games gold historic?

She became the first Indian woman weightlifter to win three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals.

What is Mirabai Chanu’s next major target?

Her next focus is the Asian Games in Nagoya, where she hopes to win her first Asian Games medal and achieve a 90kg snatch.