Mirabai Chanu ended India's 21-year wait for a weightlifting medal at the Olympics by clinching a silver medal in the women's 49 kg category to open the country's account on Saturday. "I have made many sacrifices to reach here," she told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The 26-year-old lifted a total of 202 kg (87 kg + 115 kg) to better Karnam Malleswari's bronze in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. With this, she exorcised the ghosts of the 2016 Games where she had failed to log a single legitimate clean and jerk lift.
"To be a big player or achieve something big, you have to make sacrifices and I have made many sacrifices," she said.
"I had worked very hard for the 2017 World Championship. My sister was getting married, but I missed that.
"After failing at the Rio Olympics, I had the World Championship ahead of me and that was my chance to prove myself, so I did not even go home and missed my sister's wedding," she said.
Mirabai Chanu also revealed she cannot wait to meet her mother after returning from Tokyo.
"I have been missing my mother a lot for several days now. She has prayed hard for me and I miss her a lot," an emotional Chanu said.
The gold in the women's 49kg went to China's Hou Zhihui with an effort of 210kg (94kg+116kg) , while Aisah Windy Cantika of Indonesia took home the bronze with an effort of 194kg (84kg+110kg).