The Indian ace, lifting in her first World Championship event since 2022, logged a total of 199kg in 48kg for her third medal in the competition’s history.
Mirabai Chanu clinched a silver in the women’s 48kg category at the World Weightlifting Championships 2025 in Forde, Norway, on Thursday, ending India’s three-year wait for a medal in the competition.
Lifting in her first World Weightlifting Championships since 2022 and her second competition since finishing fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Mirabai Chanu managed a total of 199kg (84kg snatch + 115kg clean and jerk) to secure second-place overall.
Chanu started strong in the snatch, successfully lifting 84kg, though she could not register valid attempts at 87kg in her next two tries. Her 84kg lift was enough to earn her a bronze in the snatch segment.
In the clean and jerk, she opened with 109kg, followed by 112kg and capped her day with 115kg, which secured her silver in the lift and the overall tally.
The overall gold medal went to defending world champion Ri Song-gum of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with a total lift of 213kg (91kg+122kg). The 122kg mark in clean and jerk is the new world record. Thailand’s Thanyathon Sukcharoen, with an effort of 198kg (88kg+110kg), won the bronze medal.
At Paris 2024, Chanu registered 199kg (88kg snatch + 111kg clean and jerk) in the 49kg division.
Chanu’s history at the World Championships has been remarkable. She won the 48kg gold in Anaheim 2017 with a total of 194kg (85kg snatch + 109kg clean and jerk), becoming India’s first World Championship gold medallist since Karnam Malleswari’s back-to-back victories in 1994 and 1995.
At the 2022 Championships in Bogota, she earned silver in 49kg with a total of 200kg (87kg snatch + 113kg clean and jerk).
In 2023, she registered a weigh-in but skipped lifting in the 49kg category to protect herself from injury during a mandatory Olympic qualifying event.
This was India’s 18th medal at the World Weightlifting Championships. India’s tally includes three golds, 10 silvers and five bronze – all won by women.
Last month, Mirabai Chanu marked a triumphant return to competitive action by winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2025 in Ahmedabad, where she lifted 193kg (84kg snatch+109kg clean and jerk) to top the podium.
The gold medal also ensured her a direct qualification for the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
