"It was my third day of periods" - Mirabai Chanu braves struggles to play, content with performance after little recovery time
On Wednesday, August 7, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Mirabai Chanu narrowly missed out on securing her second Olympic medal, finishing fourth in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event. Chanu, who lifted a total of 199kg, shared that she was on the third day of her menstrual cycle as she competed with the hopes of an entire nation pinned on her.
Despite a strong showing in the snatch event that kept Mirabai Chanu in the race for a medal, her inability to lift 114kg in the final clean and jerk attempt proved costly, ultimately denying her the bronze medal. Throughout her six attempts, Chanu succeeded in only three, managing just one successful lift in the clean and jerk section.
Reflecting on her performance, Mirabai Chanu expressed satisfaction despite the outcome.
“I am happy with the performance because I managed this despite having very little time for recovery,” she said as quoted by PTI.
“I was managing 85 in practice and I did it in the competition too. I was confident about clean and jerk also. It was my third day of the period and that also affects you a bit.” she added.
Mirabai Chanu misses podium finish for just 1 kilogram
Mirabai Chanu began the 49lg weightlifting final at the Paris Olympics 2024 with a smooth lift of 85kg. Despite her recent injury-plagued Olympic cycle, she remained competitive after the snatch section, which has often been challenging. However, a failed second attempt at 88kg put pressure on her final snatch lift, which she completed.
Entering the clean and jerk section, Chanu faced difficulties. After failing her first attempt at 111kg, she managed to lift it on her second try, providing relief to her and her coaches. Unfortunately, her final attempt at 114kg fell short, 5kg below her personal best, thus concluding her journey without a medal.
Mirabai Chanu finished her lift with a total of 199 kg (88kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk), just one less than third-placed Surodchana Khambao. It was 3kg less than her silver medal-winning total at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the event, China’s Hou Zhihui successfully defended her title, setting a new Olympic record in clean and jerk with a total lift of 206kg (89kg in snatch and 117kg in clean and jerk).
Romanian Mihaela Cambei secured the silver with a total of 205kg (93kg in snatch and 112kg in clean and jerk), while Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao claimed the bronze with 200kg (88kg in snatch and 112kg in clean and jerk).