Mirabai Chanu Will Not Participate In Asian Games 2018, Confirms IWF General Secretary

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu will not participate in the upcoming 18th edition of Asian Games in Indonesia next week owing to a backache, confirmed International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) General Secretary Sehdev Yadav on Tuesday. Chanu wrote to the IWF asking for time to recover from her lower-back injury so that she can prepare for the Olympic qualifiers that will be held in Ashgabat from November 1. The World Championship will be the first Olympic qualifying event this year. "Yes, she is not going to participate in the Asian Games and I am going to send an official mail to the government by afternoon," Yadav told ANI.

Chanu's absence from the 2018 Asian Games will come as a setback for India as she was one of the front-runners for a medal in the event.

The star weightlifter has been struggling with a lower-back problem since May and is yet to begin full-fledged training.

Talking about the injury, India coach Vijay Sharma said, "It is a rare problem, the doctors say there might be small tear in the ligament. That is why the MRI's and CT scans are coming clean."

Earlier this year, Chanu bagged a gold medal at the 21st Commonwealth Games 2018 at Gold Coast in Australia.

She set a record on snatch by pulling off a clean lift in all her three attempts on 80kg, 84kg and 86kg respectively.

Chanu then lifted more than double her body weight (103kg, 107kg and 110kg) in three successful attempts to claim the clean and jerk as well as the overall CWG record.

The Asian Games are scheduled to be held from August 18 to September 2 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

(With ANI inputs)