Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu won the silver medal in the women’s 49kg weightlifting event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 on Wednesday, September 23.

Chanu recorded a combined lift of 198kg, securing her maiden Asian Games medal after narrowly missing out on the podium in previous editions.

In the snatch, the Olympic medallist successfully completed all three attempts, lifting 83kg, 85kg and 87kg. She then lifted 107kg and 111kg in the clean and jerk to finish with a total of 198kg.

North Korea’s Ri Song Gum won the gold medal with a total lift of 215kg, while Indonesia’s Luluk Diana Tri Wijayana claimed bronze with 191kg.

PM Modi Congratulates Mirabai Chanu

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Chanu following her silver-medal performance. The Prime Minister’s Office posted on X that her determination and consistency continue to inspire the nation, adding, “India is proud of her.”

The medal is particularly significant for Chanu, who finished fourth at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023 after an injury forced her to withdraw from her final clean and jerk attempt. She had also finished ninth at the 2014 Asian Games and missed the 2018 edition due to injury.

The silver also ends India’s long wait for an Asian Games weightlifting medal, with Karnam Malleswari being the previous Indian weightlifting medallist at the Games.

Chanu, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist and three-time Commonwealth Games champion, has now added an Asian Games medal to her decorated career. She has won major medals across the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

After the competition, Chanu described winning an Asian Games medal as a long-held dream. Her latest achievement marks another major milestone in her weightlifting career.