Tokyo Olympics (2024) silver medal-winning weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is set to bulk up to the 53kg weight class after her current category (49kg) was axed
for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Chanu had shifted to the 48kg category earlier this year after the International Weightlifting Federation dropped the 49kg division from the Olympics.
However, this weight class doesn’t feature in the Olympics either, hence the need for Chanu to move up to the next closest weight division.
Chief national coach Vijay Sharma feels that moving to the 53kg category is more of a boon and less of a bane for the Manipuri.
“This [removal of 49kg] is a good thing for Mirabai because cutting down her weight to 48kg was always a taxing process,” Sharma told PTI, before affirming that the 31-year-old will continue to compete in the 48/49kg category until the Asian Games 2026 (19th September to 4th October).
The women’s Olympic categories now include: 53kg, 61kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg, while the men’s categories include: 65kg, 75kg, 85kg, 95kg, 110kg, +110kg.
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