Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu's quest for a second Olympic medal ended in heartbreak as she finished fourth in the women's 49kg event at the South Paris Arena on Wednesday. Despite her best efforts, a failed lift in her final attempt cost her a spot on the podium.
Mirabai, who turns 30 on Thursday, lifted a total of 199kg (88kg in snatch and 111kg in clean and jerk), falling just 3kg short of her total lift at the Tokyo Olympics, where she secured a silver medal. Her performance in Paris was commendable but ultimately fell short of the mark required for a medal.
Mirabai managed only three successful lifts out of her six attempts. In the clean and jerk section, she succeeded in only one out of three tries. Despite this, she remained in medal contention after the snatch event.
Her inability to lift 114kg in her final clean-and-jerk attempt dashed her hopes of a bronze medal.
"I am happy with my performance because I managed this despite having very little time for recovery," Mirabai told media-persons.
"I was managing 85kg in practice and I did it in the competition too. I was confident about the clean and jerk also. It was my third day of the women's problem and that also affects you a bit," she added.
Mirabai credited her coach for devising the strategy she followed during the competition.
"It was going good, whatever the coach said I did. It is just destiny that I did not get a medal, I did my best," she said, smiling
China's Hou Zhihui defended her Olympic title by setting a new clean and jerk record with a total lift of 206kg (89kg in snatch and 117kg in clean and jerk).
Romanian Mihaela Cambei secured the silver medal with a total of 205kg (93kg in snatch and 112kg in clean and jerk), while Surodchana Khambao of Thailand took home the bronze with a total lift of 200kg (88kg in snatch and 112kg in clean and jerk).
Mirabai, wearing the gold earrings shaped like Olympic rings gifted by her mother ahead of the Rio Games, began her competition with a modest 85kg snatch, which she lifted smoothly.
Despite reaching the Paris Games after an injury-plagued Olympic cycle, she kept herself in the mix after the snatch section, historically her Achilles heel.
However, she faced disappointment when she failed her second snatch attempt at 88kg, attempting to match her personal best. But the former world champion successfully lifted 88kg in her final snatch attempt, keeping her in contention.
Cambei led the field after the snatch section, lifting 93kg in her final attempt, while Zhihui, with two successful lifts, trailed with 89kg.
Mirabai was off to a shaky start in the clean and jerk, missing her first attempt at 111kg. She successfully lifted 111kg on her second try, much to the relief of her and her coaches.
However, Mirabai's hopes were dashed as she failed her final attempt at 114kg, 5kg short of her personal best in the clean and jerk. This final failure left her agonizingly close to an Olympic medal but ultimately out of reach.
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