Mirabai Chanu, who has been away from the limelight due to injuries, will be the centre of attention on Wednesday as she aims to secure India's second Olympic weightlifting medal. However, tough competition and ongoing fitness issues pose significant challenges.
Following a hip tendonitis injury during the Asian Games last October, Chanu has maintained a low profile. She has faced a challenging Olympic cycle due to injuries and workload management.
Her most impressive performance post-Tokyo was at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where she lifted 201kg (88kg+113kg). In Tokyo, she secured a silver medal by lifting 202kg (87kg+115kg).
Competing in the 49kg weight category, Chanu is expected to be in contention for a silver or bronze medal if she matches or surpasses her personal best in both sections.
The favourite to retain her Olympic title is China's Hou Zhihui, the reigning champion.
Although there are lingering concerns about her health following a five-month absence due to a hip injury, both Chanu and chief national coach Vijay Sharma have confirmed that the Manipuri athlete has fully recuperated.
"We know that Mira has to go well beyond the 200kg mark. 202kg will not cut it this time, but somewhere around 205-206kg should do it. But we are prepared for the challenge," coach Sharma told PTI.
However, completing this task is not simple, as the 29-year-old has faced challenges in surpassing her personal best of 88kg in the snatch, achieved at the 2020 National Championships, and 119kg in clean and jerk, set at the 2021 Asian Championships, for an extended period of time.
As Chanu approaches her 30th birthday, she will be focused on her competitors' barbells, but her main challenge will be overcoming her own limitations at the South Paris Arena.
Her performance in the snatch section remains her weakness, and her recent mediocre clean-and-jerk performance is not encouraging.
Chanu continues to struggle to achieve a 90kg snatch lift, while four of her competitors have already surpassed this milestone.
Despite this, Chanu is recognised for her fighting spirit and is considered one of the most determined athletes in the country.
Be it battling intense menstrual camps to win a medal in Tokyo or attempting a 117kg clean and jerk lift despite injuring herself during the Asian Games, she has shown her resolute side.
The 49kg event is shaping up to be a fiercely competitive competition, even in the absence of North Korea's Asian Games champion and world record holder Ri Song Gum.
Chanu, along with two others, namely the USA's three-time Pan American champion and a world bronze medallist Jourdan Delacruz and 2021 world champion Surodchana Khambao of Thailand, has set an entry weight of 200kg.
Zhihui has set an entry weight of 210kg, while two-time European champion Romanian Mihaela Cambei has set hers at 205kg.
Chanu has been undergoing training in Paris for one month.
Additionally, she has been receiving guidance from Dr. Aaron Horschig, an American who was formerly a weightlifter and is now a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach. He has been working with Chanu since 2020.
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