Asian Games 2023: Mirabai Chanu to undergo tests to ascertain extent of thigh injury

Mirabai Chanu will undergo tests on 3 October (Tuesday) in Mumbai to find out the severity of the thigh injury she picked up at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The Olympic medal-winning weightlifter took part in the competition despite feeling some pain in her thigh during the warm-ups. In her six attempts between snatch and clean and jerk in the women’s 49kg competition, she posted a total of 191 kgs to finish outside medal contention.

Chanu, who will return to India on Sunday, and will then undergo tests at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute in Mumbai.

“We have to wait and find out the extent of her injury. She can’t put down her foot as of now. Tomorrow we will have some idea depending on if she is able to walk,” head coach Vijay Sharma told news agency PTI.

“We are trying to do all the the tests on Monday but since it’s 2nd October lets see if it is possible. Otherwise it will happen on Tuesday. We have spoken to a reputed doctor in Mumbai and booked appointment for October 4,” he added.

While trying to increase her score with a 117kg lift, the 2017 world champion had successfully placed the bar on her collarbone, ready to be jerked, but the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist’s hip gave up and she fell to the floor.

Lying on her back, Sharma came to Chanu’s rescue and carried her away from the platform in his arms. Had the two-time Commonwealth Games champion succeeded in lifting 117kg, she would have won a bronze medal.

After winning medals at the Olympics, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships, Asian Games is the only medal still pending from the 29-year-old’s remarkable CV.

“After snatch I asked her to pull out but she insisted on going through. She is mentally very tough and insisted that she’ll manage the lift and stand on the podium,” Sharma said.

There were warning signs during the competition as well. She grimaced while failing to clear her first 86kg snatch attempt. Yet, she persisted.

Sharma said had everything worked out, Chanu would have logged the much-anticipated 90kg lift in snatch.

“Mira (Chanu) has been lifting 90kg in training for the past 2-3 months. She lifted that in the selection trials as well.

“It’s unfortunate, Mira was oncourse for a medal. She was fit also. It’s all God’s doing. Last year she was at peak fitness and looked strong but the Asian Games were postponed by a year due to COVID,” Sharma said.

Earlier in May, at the Asian Championships, a dodgy hip had forced her to skip the last two attempts, dashing her hopes of a medal.

(with inputs from PTI)