New Delhi, 26 August (H.S.): Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is fully focused on achieving her goal of winning her first Asian Games medal. With the Asian Games scheduled to be held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, in September, avoiding injury has emerged as her top priority. To maintain her fitness and prevent setbacks, Chanu holds weekly video consultations with American strength and conditioning specialist Dr Aaron Horshig to discuss her training and physical conditioning.

Speaking to SAI Media, Chanu said, “Every Thursday, we have a video call to discuss training, recovery and the strategy ahead. Everything is reviewed in detail. Dr Horshig was a weightlifter himself, so he understands every muscle in the body. The continuous reviews have helped me stay fit.”

Chanu and Horshig have been working together since November 2020. She is currently training in Modinagar under her long-time coach Vijay Sharma. Even after winning her third Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow, she did not take a break from training.

“I returned straight to Modinagar and resumed training. I did not even go home to Manipur. I have set myself a challenge that I will not go home until I win a medal at the Asian Games,” Chanu said.

An Asian Games medal remains the missing piece in Chanu’s otherwise illustrious career. She has already won medals at the Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. However, she missed the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta due to injury, while she finished fourth at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou after suffering a hip and thigh injury.

At the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Chanu won the women’s 48kg gold medal with a combined lift of 190kg. She lifted 85kg in the snatch and 105kg in the clean and jerk, setting Commonwealth Games records in all three categories.

However, Chanu was not particularly impressed by the level of competition in Glasgow.

“To be honest, the competition at the Commonwealth Games was not very challenging for me. The real test lies ahead,” she said.

According to Chanu, weightlifters from China, North Korea, Japan and Thailand are expected to pose the toughest challenges at the Asian Games. At the Paris Olympics, Thailand’s Surodchana Khambao had finished ahead of her by just 1kg to claim the bronze medal.

Chanu’s personal best is 205kg, which she achieved at the 2021 Asian Championships and again at the National Championships in February 2026. She said she wants to test herself in Japan and find out how far she can push her limits.

Chanu will lead India’s five-member weightlifting contingent at the Asian Games. The weightlifting competitions will be held from September 22 to 28 at the Tokai Citizens Gymnasium in Nagoya, Aichi.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar