Mirabai Chanu’s snatch improvement signals Asian Games medal push

Her previous best in the snatch category came in 2020 when she lifted 88kg at the Nationals, but that was in the 49kg category.

National record in 48kg women's category.

Mirabai lifts 112 kg (89 in snatch) in her first attempt bettering her previous best of 199 kg from last world championships. pic.twitter.com/6XvQF0d1vo

— Pritish Raj (@befikramusafir) February 4, 2026

On Wednesday, Chanu created three national records in the 48kg category: 89kg in snatch, 116kg in clean and jerk, and 205kg overall. She matched her 49kg category best mark, which came at the 2021 Asian Championships.

Technical tweaks helped

While Chanu has always had a strong clean and jerk, she was stuck at 88kg in the snatch for the longest time. But a tweak in her technique after the Paris Olympics has helped Chanu make this one-kilogram improvement.

“There was a slight technical tweak for her in the snatch. Now, she is lifting the barbell with more speed and holding it closer to her body. The technique has inspired confidence, and now we are thinking of going beyond the 90kg mark,” Chanu’s coach Vijay Sharma said.

India’s only elite weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu, made one such improvement when she lifted 89kg in the women’s 48kg category at the Weightlifting Nationals and equalled her personal best with a total lift of 205kg. (Express Photo | Pritish Raj)

Chanu attempted a lift at 91kg but failed. However, she believes that if this routine continues, she will do better at the Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games.

The performance at the nationals also boosted Chanu’s confidence. “The move to attempt my personal bests was to boost my confidence and also to assess whether the technique and training are working or not,” Chanu said.

Since the technical change, Chanu has been lifting more smoothly in practice, which has further inspired confidence to go for higher weights. She started her lifts in the snatch category with 86kg, which was not the case before. “Earlier, we used to start the snatch at 83 or 84kg, but today we started at 86kg. With this technique and more practice, I am confident that her second lift in the upcoming competitions will be above 90kg,” coach Vijay explained.

Adjusting to different categories

2026 is going to be a rollercoaster ride for Chanu, who will be competing in the Asian Championships at home, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
But the catch here is that Chanu will have to make slight adjustments in her weight. She will be competing in the 48kg category at the Commonwealth Games and, fifty days later, in the 49kg category at the Asiads.

“If I have to be honest, it is going to be tough for her. She is not getting any younger. It is going to be difficult, but we will manage it,” said Vijay. “The only thing is that our main competitors will be preparing at a different weight, as they only have to compete at the Asian Games. But we will have to train in the lower weight category first and then move up to the higher category after the CWG.”

With the Olympics still far away, the athlete-coach duo is focusing on the only missing medal from Chanu’s cabinet: the Asian Games. “My only focus is on the Asian Games. The Olympics are far away, and we will look at that afterward, but right now the whole focus is on securing an Asian Games medal,” Chanu said.

For the 2028 LA Olympics, Chanu will have to make another jump in weight category, as the International Weightlifting Federation has scrapped the 48kg and 49kg categories from the Olympic programme. Chanu will compete in the 53kg category after the Asian Games. “We will start preparing for the 53kg category from the day after the Asian Games. I have said this before—Chanu will do well in the 53kg category. We will start by developing more muscle mass, which will help her lift the weights required for the 53kg category,” said Vijay.

While this is only the first tournament of the season for Chanu in what promises to be a long season, the improvements paint a rosy picture for her Asian Games medal push—a medal that would complete her career.