Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan on Wednesday. She finished with a total lift of 198kg, winning her first Asian Games medal.Key HighlightsMirabai Chanu lifted 87kg in the snatch and 111kg in the clean and jerk.North Korea’s Ri Song-gum won gold with a world-record total of 215kg.Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana won bronze with 191kg.The silver ended India’s 28-year wait for a women’s weightlifting medal at the Asian Games.Mirabai Chanu Wins Her First Asian Games MedalThe Mirabai Chanu Asian Games 2026 Silver Medal is an important moment in her career. The Olympic silver medallist had never finished on the podium at the Asian Games before this event.Competing in the women’s 49kg weightlifting category, Chanu was strong throughout the competition. She successfully lifted 83kg, 85kg and 87kg in her three snatch attempts.She then started the clean and jerk section with a successful 107kg lift. She followed it with 111kg to reach a total of 198kg. She did not take a third clean and jerk attempt.Ri Song-gum Sets World RecordRi Song-gum of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea won the gold medal with a huge total of 215kg. She lifted 94kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean and jerk.Both of Ri’s lifts also set new world records in the 49kg category.Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana finished third with a total of 191kg, taking the bronze medal.Related Instagram Video :Mirabai Chanu Clinches Silver Medal in WeightliftingIndia Ends 28-Year WaitThe Mirabai Chanu silver medal India result also ended a long wait for Indian weightlifting at the Asian Games. It was India’s 15th Asian Games medal in weightlifting and the country’s first in the sport at the Games since 1998.Karnam Malleswari was the last Indian woman weightlifter to win an Asian Games medal before Chanu. She won silver in the 63kg category at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games.Chanu had also missed the podium at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games. She finished fourth after suffering an injury during her final clean and jerk attempt.“There was pressure, but not that much pressure that I could not win a medal,” Mirabai Chanu said after the event.A Major Medal Missing From Chanu’s CareerThe Asian Games 2026 weightlifting medal completes Chanu’s collection across major international competitions. She has previously won medals at the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Championships and Commonwealth Games.Her silver in Aichi-Nagoya adds the Mirabai Chanu Asian Games medal to that record.India has sent four weightlifters to the Asian Games 2026. Gyaneshwari Yadav competed in the women’s 53kg category and finished without a medal. Seram Nirupama Devi in the 61kg category and Harjinder Kaur in the 69kg category are also part of India’s weightlifting contingent.Also Read : Mirabai Chanu Wins Gold Medal at Commonwealth Games 2026, Lifts India's Pride
