Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu will return to competitive matches on Monday after a year’s gap and lead a domestic challenge in the Commonwealth Championships in which Indian weightlosters are expected to put medals. Chanu, who had been struggling with injuries in recent years, last year played at the Paris Olympics in August last year in which she missed a kilogram of podium.

31 -year -old Meerabai has decided to move from 49 kg to 48 kg after the new Olympic weight class came into force for 2028 Los Angeles Games. She has won her World Championship title and two Commonwealth Games medals in this 48 kg weight category but has not competed since 2018. Controlling weight will be a challenge and Chanu himself has accepted it. But this determined Manipuri player has accepted this challenge.

While working with the main national coach Vijay Sharma, Meerabai is also improving her technology so that he can lift 90 kg in snatch. Chanu, who is preparing to top the World Championships to be held in October, said that she would not throw full strength in the Commonwealth Championships which is one of the qualifying tournaments for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow next year.

During this, he said that, I am not putting full force in Ahmedabad because I am preparing for the World Championship. My biggest goal is Asian Games where my goal is to break the world record and win a medal because I have not made any records there yet.

Chanu may remain the main attraction, but India’s party is expected to reach the podium in almost every weight category. Commonwealth Competitions (Commonwealth Sports and Commonwealth Championships) have long been a great place for Indian weightlifters that benefit from the absence of veterans like China and North Korea. When India hosted the championship in 2023 last time, the domestic team performed brilliantly with 20 medals.

This time too, many Commonwealth medalists including silver winner Bindirani Devi and bronze medalist Harjinder Kaur and Lovepreet Singh would like to increase the medal table of India.

Indian Team:

Woman: Meerabai Chanu (48 kg), Sneha Soren (53 kg), Bindyarani Devi (58 kg), Seram Nirupama Devi (63 kg), Harjinder Kaur (69 kg), Harmanpreet Kaur (77 kg), Vanshita Verma (86 kg :), Mahek Sharma (+86 kg)

Male: Chanambam Rishikant Singh (60 kg); M Raja (65 kg); Narayan Ajit (71 kg), Valluri Ajay Babu (79 kg), Ajay Singh (88 kg), Dilbag Singh (94 kg), Harcharan Singh (110 kg), Lovepreet Singh (+110 kg).