2. Mirabai Chanu’s game changing gold at Weightlifting world championship
Chanu created history when Thailand’s rising star Thunya Sukcharoen was unable to match her 109kg clean and jerk lift. The Indian was confirmed as world champion, only the second from the country. Earlier, Karnam Malleswari’s clinched two gold medals in 1994 and 1995.
Besides, the sport’s record on the doping front in India has not been good. As many as 192 of the 791 athletes banned by the National Anti-Doping Agency for doping violations are weightlifters. Sanamacha Chanu faced the ignominy of testing positive at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Worse, the national federation facing a ban by the international body in 2004, 2006 and 2009.
Under such circumstances, there could be no better fillip to weightlifting than Mirabai Chanu’s gold in the World Championship. The Manipur lass ensured that she would no longer be weighed down by memories of a no lift in the Olympic Games. And, at once, she has got weightlifting back into collective public consciousness. This time for the right reasons. Read : Mirabai Chanu bags gold at 2017 World Weightling championship | Interesting facts about Mirabai Chanu
