New Delhi: Mirabai Chanu placed a painful fourth at the Paris Olympics nearly a year ago. Chanu, who was plagued by minor ailments and injuries for much of that Olympic cycle, left the stage with a resigned smile and a promise to come back stronger.

"Paris was a major disappointment." It was painful to miss the podium after getting so close, and I knew that an aggregate of 200 kg would definitely earn me a medal," the Tokyo Games silver medallist, who narrowly missed out on a second podium after lifting one kg less in 49 kg, said Tuesday on the sidelines of the two-day ASMITA weightlifting league in Modinagar.

After a three-month hiatus, Chanu sought advice from Dr. Aaron Horschig in St Louis, USA, for a hip issue that had been plaguing her ever since the 2023 Asian Games. In addition, she relocated from NIS Patiala to national coach Vijay Sharma's academy, where she also serves as a mentor for the students.

One of the three required qualifiers for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow the following year, the Commonwealth championships in Ahmedabad next month (Aug 24-30) will see Chanu make a comeback. The 30-year-old will have the chance to put her skills to the test. Last month, she participated in the trials for the Commonwealth championships in Patiala, where Sharma said she "performed beyond expectations."

Chanu stated that she has been making minor changes to her approach, notably in the snatch, and is now training at 70–80% of her maximum weight. For the past few years, she has been attempting to steal 90 kg, but the majority of her technical efforts have been hampered by injuries.

"We did some technical work before the Tokyo Olympics, but the rhythm was disrupted after repeated injuries in the Paris cycle," Sharma said. "However, we are confident she can snatch 90kg. In the days leading up to Paris, she crossed that barrier during practice. We were also confident of a medal in Paris because she could lift 115–116 kg in the clean and jerk, he continued.

Chanu failed to lift more than 88 kg in the snatch at the Games, and she also failed in her first attempt at the clean and jerk with 111 kg.

"I lifted a lot more in practice, but on the day that counted, things didn't go as planned. My determination has not been shaken by that. She stated, "My goals are still the same." Among them are grabbing 90 kg and earning a hard-to-get Asian Games medal the next year.

Given the threat posed by Chinese and North Korean lifters, it will require some effort. Chanu is aware of the rivalry, but he is not intimidated.

The double World Championships medalist stated, "Recently a junior lifter in China snatched 90kg, so I really need to achieve that score."

"The clean and jerk is more power-based, whereas the snatch is all about technique. The second pull's execution, how to manage the back, how to raise and advance, and other facets all need technical improvement. These are minor changes, but over time, the body creates muscle memory that is difficult to break free from.

Chanu is also attempting to increase the speed of her initial pull, which is the action in which the bar is raised to the waist.

"The body should be in sync in that motion, but that has been my weakness since the beginning. We have increased the speed of the hip thrust as well as the second pull. The approach cannot be fixed right away. Because my body is getting older, we need to handle it with care.

Managing one's weight will be difficult during this Olympic cycle as well. Chanu is now competing at 48 kg, a weight class where she won the world championship in 2017, after the international federation made changes to the weight divisions.

“Since my maintenance weight now needs to be about 49.5 kg, it will be challenging to maintain weight. From the outside, it seems just one kg, but it needs a really thorough examination of the training regimen,” she stated. Her training load hasn't changed—she was previously in 49 kg—but it has been divided to prevent the body from being overworked, according to Sharma.

"From there, the focus will shift towards the Asian Games as we reach our peak for the World Championships in October," Chanu said.

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