Mirabai Chanu at a training session in Modinagar, Uttar Pradesh, on March 05, 2026.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Olympic and World championships medallist Mirabai Chanu need not push herself to claim her third consecutive gold at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, said National chief coach Vijay Sharma.
Mirabai totalled 205kg at the National championships at Modinagar in February before pulling out of the Asian championships at Gandhinagar in May due to a shoulder injury.
The soon-to-be 32-year-old will be eyeing her fourth CWG medal of any colour in a row in Glasgow while trying to stay injury-free.
Since an Asian Games medal has eluded Mirabai, the continental Games in Aichi-Nagoya, from September 19 to October 4, would be her priority. Sharma said it would not be prudent to push her in the women’s 48kg competition in Glasgow.
“For Mira, the CWG will be like a practice event before the Asian Games. A total of 190-195kg should be enough for her to win the CWG gold medal. Irrespective of the total, a gold is a gold. Her main target is medalling at the Asian Games,” Sharma told The Hindu.
Mirabai had won the Commonwealth championships title in Ahmedabad by a margin of 32kg after aggregating 193kg.
Apart from Mirabai, V. Ajaya Babu (79kg) will be in the race for a gold medal. M. Raja (65kg) has an outside chance of finishing on top of the podium.
Following four positive dope tests, including that of gold medal prospect N. Ajith (71kg), which led to a reduction in the country’s quota places, it will be challenging for the Indian weightlifting squad to replicate its 10-medal performance of the Birmingham Games four years ago.
The 12-member Indian weightlifting team trained at Wolverhampton University in Birmingham for more than three weeks before moving to Glasgow.
Published – July 22, 2026 05:45 pm IST
