Mirabai Chanu beats Olympic champion Hou Zhihua to win silver at Weightlifting World Championships

Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu won silver at the 2022 World Weightlifting Championships after beating the Tokyo 2020 champion Hou Zhihua of China in Colombia.

Mirabai lifted a combined weight of 200 kg (87kg in snatch and 113kg in clean and jerk) compared to Zhihua’s total of 198 kg (89kg in snatch and 109 kg in clean and jerk). Meanwhile, China’s Jiang Huihua took home the gold medal with a combined weight of 206 kg (93kg plus 113kg).

This was Mirabai’s second medal at the World Championships, having previously won gold in 2017 with a lift of 194 kg (85 kg plus 109 kg).

The star Indian weightlifter Mirabai, who recently won the Commonwealth Games 2022 gold, had a slow start, lifting 85 kg in snatch. The 28-year-old failed in her second attempt (87 kg) before clearing her third (87 kg). Mirabai then struggled in her second clean and jerk attempt but she recovered in time to finish with a combined total of 113 kg and matched with Jiang in clean and jerk.

This put her ahead in the medal frame as two-time European bronze medallist in 55kg Nina Sterckx of Belgium and Romanian European bronze medallist Mihaela Cambei failed in their second and third attempts in the clean and jerk.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Hou Zhihua appeared to be struggling as she lifted below her world record personal best of 96 kg in snatch and national record personal best of 118 kg in clean and jerk. Interestingly, India’s Mirabai holds the world record at 119 kg).